(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on May 22.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — All three measures of rail freight traffic were up on U.S. railroads during the week ended May 17 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Intermodal traffic totaled 194,858 trailers and containers, up 4.4 percent from the comparable week last year. Carload freight, which doesn t include the intermodal data, totaled 332,779 cars, up 1.6 percent from last year, with volume up 3.4 percent in the East and virtually the same as last year in the West. Total volume was estimated at 28.9 billion ton-miles, up 2.5 percent from last year s twentieth week.
Twelve of nineteen commodities registered gains from last year, with coke up 46.5 percent; nonmetallic minerals gaining 8.7 percent; and pulp, paper and allied products rising 7.6 percent. Loadings of petroleum products were down 8.5 percent; primary forest products were off 8.2 percent; and metals and products declined by 6.9 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 20 weeks of 2003: 6,411,113 carloads, up 0.7 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 3,686,003 trailers and containers, up 7.4 percent; and total volume of an estimated 567.1 billion ton-miles, up 0.9 percent from last year s first 20 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 intermodal traffic but a decline in carload freight during the week ended May 17. Intermodal traffic totaled 44,828 trailers and containers, up 9.6 percent from last year. Carload volume was 63,075 cars, down 5.4 percent from the comparable week last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 20 weeks of 2003 on the Canadian railroads totaled 1,240,020 carloads, down 1.6 percent from last year, and 812,857 trailers and containers, up 10.4 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 20 weeks of 2003 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 7,651,133 carloads, up 0.3 percent from last year and 4,498,860 trailers and containers, up 7.9 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that originated carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended May 17 totaled 8,824 cars, up 3.3 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 3,655 originated trailers or containers, up 17.3 percent from the 20th week of 2002. For the first 20 weeks of 2003, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 173,069 cars, up 3.4 percent from last year, and 70,397 trailers or containers, up 38.6 percent.