(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on April 24.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Total freight traffic on U.S. railroads was up slightly during the week ended April 19, in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Total volume for the week was estimated at 28.3 billion ton-miles, up 0.7 percent from the comparable week last year. Intermodal traffic totaled 184,426 trailers or containers, up 0.1 percent from last year. Container volume was up 2.2 percent while trailer traffic was down 5.7 percent.
Carload freight, which does not include the intermodal data, totaled 323,992 cars during the week, down 0.2 percent from the corresponding week last year. Loadings were up 0.6 percent in the East, but down 0.9 percent in the West.
The 2003 week included Good Friday, which is a holiday on many U.S. railroads. The comparison week from last year did not include the holiday.
Nine commodity groups showed gains from last year with coke up 24.6 percent; farm products other than grain increasing 13.0 percent; and coal up 3.7 percent. Among the nine commodities registering decreases were petroleum products, down 17.6 percent; motor vehicles and equipment, off 14.6 percent; and primary forest products, down 9.2 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 16 weeks of 2003: 5,088,370 carloads, up 0.7 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 2,909,913 trailers and containers, up 8.2 percent; and total volume of an estimated 452.3 billion ton?miles, up 0.8 percent from last year s first 16 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.
On Canadian railroads, intermodal volume was up while carload traffic was down during the week ended April 19. Intermodal traffic totaled 39,819 trailers or containers, up 4.0 percent from last year. Carload volume of 64,427 cars was down 3.3 percent from the comparable week last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 16 weeks of 2003 on the Canadian railroads totaled 982,867 carloads, down 1.0 percent from last year, and 636,284 trailers or containers, up 11.2 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 16 weeks of 2003 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 6,071,237 carloads, up 0.4 percent from last year, and 3,546,197 trailers and containers, up 8.8 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended April 19 totaled 8,126 cars originated, down 17.9 percent from last year. TFM reported originated intermodal volume of 2,925 trailers or containers, down 9.0 percent from the 16th week of 2002.
For the first 16 weeks of 2003, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 140,938 cars, up 6.0 percent from last year, and 56,843 trailers or containers, up 44.0 percent.