WASHINGTON — Rail intermodal volume registered a gain during the week ended October 12 in comparison with the previous week but was still down sharply from the corresponding week last year, as West Coast ports reopened late last week, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) weekly press release reported.
Intermodal volume totaled 151,826 trailers and containers, up 13.0 percent from the previous week, but down 18.5 percent from the comparable week last year. Container volume dropped 25.3 percent from last year, while trailer loadings declined by 1.0 percent.
Carload freight, which doesn’t include the intermodal data, was off by 0.4 percent from last year, totaling 345,074 cars. Carload volume was up 0.4 percent in the East but down 1.1 percent in the West. Total volume was estimated at 29.8 billion ton-miles, down 0.3 percent from the 41st week of 2001.
Among the nine carload commodity groups registering gains were metallic ores, up 25.8 percent from the comparable week last year; metals and products, up 11.6 percent; and lumber and wood products, up 11.3 percent. Grain volume, which was affected by the West Coast shutdown, was down 14.0 percent. Also down sharply were loadings of primary forest products, off 18.1 percent, and petroleum products, down 10.3 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 41 weeks of 2002: 13,521,882 carloads, down 1.0 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 7,315,487 trailers and containers, up 3.8 percent; and total volume of an estimated 1.173 trillion ton-miles, up 0.9 percent from last year’s first 41 weeks.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 90 percent of U.S. carload freight and 97 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 96 percent and 99 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.
Canadian railroads reported gains in both intermodal and carload freight during the week ended October 12. Intermodal traffic totaled 43,019 trailers and containers, up 26.5 percent from last year. Carload volume of 60,564 cars was up 1.1 percent from the comparable week last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 41 weeks of 2002 on the Canadian railroads totaled 2,443,287 carloads, down 2.7 percent from last year, and 1,574,665 trailers and containers, up 10.3 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 41 weeks of 2002 on 16 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 15,965,169 carloads, down 1.2 percent from last year and 8,890,152 trailers and containers, up 4.9 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended October 12 totaled 11,503 cars originated or received from connecting lines, up 16.9 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 4,043 trailers or containers, up 32.2 percent from the 41st week of 2001. For the first 41 weeks of 2002, TFM reported cumulative volume of 430,840 cars, up 1.9 percent from last year, and 150,967 trailers or containers, up 7.9 percent.
AAR is the world’s leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on the safety and productivity of rail carriers.