(The Association of American Railroads posted the following news release on its website on September 22.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Intermodal traffic set a weekly record on U.S. railroads during the week ended September 13, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Intermodal traffic totaled 206,943 trailers or containers, up 3.1 percent from last year and 0.2 above the previous record of 206,454 set during the week ended September 21, 2002. Container volume was up 2.0 percent while trailer traffic was up 6.3 percent from last year.
Carload freight, which doesn?t include the intermodal data, totaled 342,821 cars, virtually the same as last year, with volume up 0.1 percent in the East and down 0.1 percent in the West. Total volume was estimated at 30.4 billion ton-miles, up 2.0 percent from last year.
Thirteen of 19 carload commodity groups were up from last year, with coke rising 40.2 percent; stone, clay and glass products rising 10.8 percent; and pulp, paper and allied products up 6.1 percent. On the downside, loadings of metallic ores were off 18.5 percent and farm products other than grain declined by 10.8 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 37 weeks of 2003: 11,948,928 carloads, down 0.3 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 6,942,640 trailers or containers, up 5.2 percent; and total volume of an estimated 1.06 trillion ton-miles, up 0.8 percent from last year?s first 37 weeks.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 88 percent of U.S. carload freight and 95 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 95 percent and 100 percent. Railroads provide more than 40 percent of the nation?s intercity freight transportation, more than any other mode, and rail traffic figures are regarded as an important economic indicator.
Both intermodal and carload volume were down on Canadian railroads during the week ended September 13. Intermodal traffic totaled 42,432 trailers and containers, down 1.5 percent from last year. Carload volume of 65,451 cars, was down 1.2 percent from the comparable week last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 37 weeks of 2003 on the Canadian railroads totaled 2,258,292 carloads, down 1.4 percent from last year, and 1,529,190 trailers and containers, up 7.8 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 37 weeks of 2003 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 14,207,220 carloads, down 0.5 percent from last year and 8,471,830 trailers and containers, up 5.7 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that originated carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended September 13 totaled 7,906 cars, down 9.4 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 3,276 originated trailers or containers, down 0.3 percent from the 37th week of 2002. For the first 37 weeks of 2003, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 313,337 cars, down 0.3 percent from last year, and 129,167 trailers or containers, up 21.0 percent.