(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on December 14.)
WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads rose during the week ended December 9 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Total volume of an estimated 33.2 billion ton-miles was 4.7 percent above the comparable week last year.
Intermodal volume of 241,549 trailers or containers was up 1.6 percent from last year. Container volume rose 6.1 percent for the week while trailer volume declined by 10.4 percent.
Carload freight totaled 323,900 cars, up 3.5 percent from last year, with loadings up 11.8 percent in the West but down 6.0 percent in the East.
Seven out of 19 carload commodity groups were up from last year, with loadings of coke up 42.7 percent, grain up 14.2 percent and coal up 9.7 percent.
Among commodities registering declines were loadings of lumber and wood products, down 27.9 percent; primary forest products, off 14.9 percent; and waste and scrap materials, down 12.4 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first 49 weeks of 2006 totaled 16,436,948 carloads, up 1.2 percent from 2005; 11,634,598 trailers or containers, up 5.2 percent; and total volume of an estimated 1.64 trillion ton-miles, up 2.5 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended December 9 carload traffic totaled 69,078 cars, down 6.0 percent from last year while intermodal volume of 46,629 trailers or containers was up 5.6 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 49 weeks of 2006 on the Canadian railroads totaled 3,645,300 carloads, down 1.8 percent from last year, and 2,236,078 trailers and containers, up 5.1 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 49 weeks of 2006 on 13 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 20,082,248 carloads, up 0.6 percent from last year and 13,870,676 trailers and containers, up 5.2 percent from last year.
The AAR also said that during the week ended December 9 Mexican railroad Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) reported total carload volume of 12,163 cars, up 10.0 percent from last year. KCSM reported total intermodal volume of 4,763 trailers or containers, up 17.7 percent from the 49th week of 2005.
For the first 49 weeks of 2006, KCSM reported total cumulative volume of 559,434 cars, down 2.8 percent from last year, and 201,579 trailers or containers, down 0.5 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.