(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on November 18.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Intermodal traffic on U.S. railroads was up sharply again during the week ended November 13, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Railroads originated a total 0f 233,788 trailers or containers during the week, up 11.7 percent from the comparable week last year. Trailer volume rose 12.1 percent from last year while container traffic grew by 11.6 percent. The was the second highest weekly intermodal volume ever recorded.
Carload freight, which doesn’t include the intermodal data, totaled 346,089 cars, up 0.9 percent from a year ago with loadings up 1.2 percent in the East and 0.7 percent in the West. Total volume was estimated at 32.5 billion ton-miles, up 1.2 percent from last year.
Ten of 19 carload commodities registered gains from last year, with crushed stone, sand and gravel up 14.9 percent, metallic ores rising 14.2 percent and nonmetallic minerals gaining 10.7 percent. Loadings of primary forest products declined 10.1 percent while motor vehicles and equipment were down 9.8 percent and grain volume was off 8.5 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 45 weeks of 2004: 15,180,403 carloads, up 2.9 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 9,541,484 trailers or containers, up 9.7 percent; and total volume of an estimated 1.397 trillion ton-miles, up 5.1 percent from last year’s first 45 weeks.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended November 13 carload traffic totaled 71,886 cars, up 4.9 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 43,420 trailers or containers, down 0.7 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 45 weeks of 2004 on the Canadian railroads totaled 3,029,812 carloads, up 7.4 percent from last year, and 1,893,092 trailers and containers, up 0.2 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 45 weeks of 2004 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 18,210,215 carloads, up 3.6 percent from last year and 11,434,576 trailers and containers, up 8.0 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that originated carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended November 13 totaled 9,104 cars, up 12.5 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 4,419 originated trailers or containers, up 27.8 percent from the 45th week of 2003. For the first 45 weeks of 2004, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 393,355 cars, up 3.7 percent from last year, and 169,800 trailers or containers, up 7.7 percent.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 88 percent of U.S. carload freight and 95 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 95 percent and 100 percent. The Canadian railroads reporting to the AAR account for 90 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.