(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on April 6.)
WASHINGTON — U.S. railroads originated 1,695,044 carloads of freight in March 2006, up 0.1 percent (1,629 carloads) from March 2005, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today. U.S. intermodal rail traffic, which consists of trailers and containers on flat cars and is not included in carload figures, totaled 1,139,074 units in March 2006, up 7.8 percent (82,389 trailers and containers) compared with March 2005.
For the first three months of 2006, total U.S. rail carloadings were up 0.7 percent (28,888 carloads) to 4,337,501 carloads, while intermodal traffic was up 5.6 percent (155,552 units) to 2,936,806 trailers and containers. Total volume was estimated at 429.5 billion ton-miles, up 1.9 percent from 2005.
“The rail traffic gains in March reflect continued growth in freight transportation demand,” noted AAR Vice President Craig F. Rockey. “Railroads are expanding their capacity, and additional investments will be needed to handle additional traffic growth expected in the next few years. Policymakers can help by taking steps that assist — and, just as importantly, not taking steps that hinder — railroads in creating the substantial new capacity our growing economy will need.”
U.S. rail traffic in March 2006 was paced by crushed stone, sand, and gravel (up 9.4 percent, or 9,748 carloads, to 112,958 carloads); motor vehicles and equipment (up 4.9 percent, or 5,849 carloads, to 124,419 carloads), and metals and metal products (up 4.3 percent, or 3,079 carloads, to 73,979 carloads). Carloads of coal fell 0.4 percent (3,009 carloads) in March 2006 to 698,761 carloads, while carloads of chemicals fell 3.9 percent (6,015 carloads) to 147,957 carloads. All told, 10 of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw carload gains in March 2006 compared with March 2005.
For the first quarter of 2006, U.S. rail carload gains were led by coal (up 1.7 percent, or 30,140 carloads, to 1,799,482 carloads) and crushed stone, sand, and gravel (up 8.1 percent, or 21,140 carloads, to 281,030 carloads). Twelve of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw carload gains in the first quarter of 2006 compared with the first quarter of 2005.
Canadian carload rail traffic in March 2006 was down 2.9 percent (11,239 carloads) to 378,367 carloads, due largely to declines in carloads of chemicals (down 8.4 percent, or 6,563 carloads, to 71,788 carloads); coal (down 9.8 percent, or 4,396 carloads, to 40,403 carloads); and paper products (down 10.5 percent, or 3,109 carloads, to 26,483 carloads). Canadian grain traffic in March 2006 was up 10.6 percent (4,220 carloads) over March 2005 to 44,118 carloads. Canadian intermodal traffic in March 2006 was up 4.7 percent (10,014 units) over March 2005 to 222,808 trailers and containers.
For the first quarter of 2006, Canadian rail carloadings were down 2.1 percent (20,862 carloads) to 961,664 carloads; Canadian intermodal traffic for the quarter was up 4.4 percent (23,422 units) to 561,679 trailers and containers.
Carloads carried on Kansas City Southern dé Mexico (KCSM – formerly Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana), a major Mexican railroad, were up 242 carloads (0.4 percent) in March 2006 to 59,431 carloads, while intermodal units carried totaled 20,137 units, up 2,687 units (15.4 percent). For the year-to-date, KCSM carloads carried were down 3.8 percent (5,784 carloads), while intermodal units carried were down 1.0 percent (495 units).
For just the week ended April 1, the AAR reported the following totals for U.S. railroads: 345,647 carloads, up 0.6 percent from the corresponding week in 2005, with loadings up 3.9 percent in the East and down 2.0 percent in the West; intermodal volume of 233,382 trailers and containers, up 11.0 percent; and total volume of an estimated 34.0 billion ton-miles, up 1.5 percent from the equivalent week last year.
For Canadian railroads during the week ended April 1, the AAR reported volume of 79,219 carloads, down 1.8 percent from last year; and 45,583 trailers and containers, up 7.8 percent from the corresponding week in 2005.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 13 weeks of 2006 on 13 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 5,299,165 carloads, up 0.2 percent (8,026 carloads) from last year; and 3,498,485 trailers and containers, up 5.4 percent (178,974 trailers and containers) from 2005’s first 13 weeks.