(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on June 12.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Intermodal traffic was up while carload freight was down slightly on U.S. railroads during the week ended June 7 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Intermodal traffic totaled 194,096 trailers and containers, up 2.6 percent from the comparable week last year. Carload freight, which doesn t include the intermodal data, totaled 330,970 cars, down 1.3 percent from last year, with volume down 0.4 percent in the East and 1.9 percent in the West. Total volume was estimated at 29.0 billion ton-miles, up 0.7 percent from last year s 23rd week.
Seven out of 19 commodities were up from the comparable week last year, with coke rising 41.4 percent, pulp, paper and allied products, up 8.3 percent; and coal gaining, 3.5 percent. On the down side, loadings of metallic ores were off 23.5 percent and grain was down 8.0 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 23 weeks of 2003: 7,384,236 carloads, up 0.5 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 4,240,880 trailers and containers, up 6.9 percent; and total volume of an estimated 652.7 billion ton-miles, up 0.9 percent from last year s first 23 weeks.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 90 percent of U.S. carload freight and 96 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 96 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.
Canadian railroads reported gains in both intermodal traffic and carload freight during the week ended June 7. Intermodal traffic totaled 44,539 trailers and containers, up 7.2 percent from last year. Carload volume was 62,006 cars, up 0.5 percent from the comparable week last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 23 weeks of 2003 on the Canadian railroads totaled 1,423,720 carloads, down 1.6 percent from last year, and 939,275 trailers and containers, up 10.1 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 23 weeks of 2003 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 8,807,956 carloads, up 0.1 percent from last year and 5,180,155 trailers and containers, up 7.4 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that originated carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended June 7 totaled 5,350 cars, down 40.0 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 3,282 originated trailers or containers, up 10.8 percent from the 23rd week of 2002. For the first 23 weeks of 2003, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 195,849 cars, up 1.4 percent from last year, and 81,551 trailers or containers, up 35.6 percent.