(The Association of American Railroads issued the following report on March 20.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Both carload and intermodal freight registered gains on U.S. railroads during the week ended March 15, in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Carload freight totaled 330,296 carloads during the week, a 4.5 percent increase from the corresponding week last year. Loadings were up 5.6 percent in the East, and 3.6 percent in the West.
Intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, totaled 185,255 trailers and containers, up 9.7 percent from the comparable week a year ago. Container traffic was up 14.2 percent, while trailer volume was down 1.5 percent.
Total volume was estimated at 29.5 billion ton-miles, up 4.6 percent from last year.
Double digit increases were reported in loadings of metallic ores, up 30.0 percent from last year; coke, up 36.7 percent; and metals and products, up 14.7 percent. Coal, which is the railroad industry’s largest source of tonnage, was up 8.8 percent. Nine out of 19 commodity groups were down, with farm products other than grain down 12.4 percent; crushed stone, sand and gravel off 9.8 percent; and lumber and wood products down 9.3 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 11 weeks of 2003: 3,461,127 carloads, up 0.4 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 1,963,876 trailers and containers, up 8.7 percent; and total volume of an estimated 308.5 billion ton?miles, up 0.2 percent from last year’s first 11 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 March 15. Intermodal traffic totaled 39,146 trailers and containers, up 8.2 percent from last year. Carload volume of 62,096 cars was down 3.6 percent from the comparable week last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 11 weeks of 2003 on the Canadian railroads totaled 672,990 carloads, down 1.2 percent from last year, and 428,678 trailers and containers, up 11.2 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 11 weeks of 2003 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 4,134,117 carloads, up 0.1 percent from last year and 2,392,554 trailers and containers, up 9.1 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended March 15 totaled 8,736 cars originated, down 3.7 percent from last year. TFM reported originated intermodal volume of 3,611 trailers or containers, up 20.0 percent from the 11th week of 2002.
For the first 11 weeks of 2003, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 96,260 cars, up 10.9 percent from last year, and 38,745 trailers or containers, up 48.4 percent.