(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on June 9.)
WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was up during the week ended June 4 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today. Both the 2005 week and the comparison week from last year included the Memorial Day holiday.
Carload freight totaled 314,700 cars, up 0.6 percent from last year. Carload traffic was up 1.4 percent in the East, and virtually flat in the West.
Intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, totaled 194,763 trailers or containers, up 2.8 percent from last year, with containers up 4.7 percent and trailers down 2.6 percent.
Total volume was estimated at 30.1 billion ton-miles, up 1.3 percent from last year.
Thirteen of 19 carload commodities were up from last year, with metallic ores up 17.3 percent; primary forest products up 16.4 percent; grain mill products up 14.8 percent; and farm products other than grain up 10.4 percent. On the downside, metals were off 15.8 percent; waste and scrap materials were down 7.6 percent; and motor vehicles and equipment declined 7.5 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first 22 weeks of 2005 totaled 7,350,024 carloads, up 2.0 percent from 2004; 4,754,686 trailers or containers, up 6.6 percent; and total volume of an estimated 697.7 billion ton-miles, up 2.8 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended June 4 carload traffic totaled 76,604 cars, down 0.1 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 41,865 trailers or containers, up 0.2 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 22 weeks of 2005 on the Canadian railroads totaled 1,691,683 carloads, up 0.3 percent from last year, and 928,924 trailers and containers, up 2.9 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 22 weeks of 2005 on U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 9,041,707 carloads, up 1.7 percent from last year and 5,683,610 trailers and containers, up 6.0 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 4 totaled 8,870 cars, up 2.8 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 3,901 originated trailers or containers, up 9.2 percent from the 22nd week of 2004. For the first 22 weeks of 2005, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 190,430 cars, up 1.7 percent from last year, and 84,726 trailers or containers, up 9.1 percent.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 87 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. The Canadian railroads reporting to the AAR account for 91 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.
AAR is the world’s leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on the safety and productivity of rail carriers.
This press release is available weekly via the Internet at www.aar.org.
NOTE: Effective June 1, 2005, the traffic of the Great Lakes Transportation Company — including the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad and the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway — will be reported in the traffic figures reported by the Canadian National Railway. This will result in a shift of that BLE and DMIR traffic from a U.S. to a Canadian classification.