(The following news release appeared on the Association of American Railroads’ website on July 15.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Largely due to the timing of the Independence Day Holiday, freight traffic on U.S. railroads was down during the week ended July 10 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today. The 2004 week included the holiday while the comparison week from last year didn’t.
Intermodal volume during the holiday week totaled 179,046 trailers and containers was, down 5.5 percent from the non-holiday week a year earlier.
Carload freight, which doesn’t include the intermodal data, totaled 291,526 units, down 4.3 percent from last year. Carload volume was up 0.3 percent in the West but down 10.4 percent in the West. Total volume was estimated at 26.2 billion ton-miles, down 3.7 percent from the corresponding week last year.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 27 weeks of 2004: 9,013,131 carloads, up 3.7 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 5,514,125 trailers or containers, up 9.1 percent; and total volume of an estimated 813.7 billion ton-miles, up 5.0 percent from last year’s first 26 weeks.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended July 10 carload traffic totaled 63,974 cars, up 11.6 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 42,195 trailers or containers, down 1.4 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 27 weeks of 2004 on the Canadian railroads totaled 1,816,170 carloads, up 8.9 percent from last year, and 1,116,778 trailers and containers, up 0.1 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 27 weeks of 2004 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 10,829,301 carloads, up 4.5 percent from last year and 6,630,903 trailers and containers, up 7.5 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that originated carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended July 10 totaled 7,832 cars, up 5.7 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 3,146 originated trailers or containers, up 3.5 percent from the 27th week of 2003. For the first 27 weeks of 2004, TFM reported a revised cumulative originated volume of 230,809 cars, down 1.2 percent from last year, and 97,039 trailers or containers, down 0.4 percent.
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. The Canadian railroads reporting to the AAR account for 90 percent of Canadian rail traffic. Railroads provide more than 40 percent of U.S. intercity freight transportation, more than any other mode, and rail traffic figures are regarded as an important economic indicator.