WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rail intermodal volume continued to recover from the effects of the West Coast port shutdown during the week ended October 26, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on October 31.
Intermodal volume totaled 199,700 trailers and containers, up 7.1 percent from the comparable week last year. Container volume was up 10.6 percent from last year, while trailer loadings declined by 1.9 percent.
Carload freight, which doesn’t include the intermodal data, was off by 0.6 percent from last year, totaling 345,743 cars. Carload volume was down 0.1 percent in the East and 1.1 percent in the West. Total volume was estimated at 29.8 billion ton-miles, down 0.7 percent from the 43rd week of 2001.
Seven of 19 commodity groups registered gains, with metallic ores up 27.3 percent, waste and scrap materials gaining 9.6 percent and motor vehicles and equipment rising 8.6 percent. Among the commodities registering declines were nonmetallic minerals, down 17.2 percent; primary forest products, off 9.2 percent; and coal, down 3.3 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 43 weeks of 2002: 14,215,117 carloads, down 0.9 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 7,716,758 trailers and containers, up 4.0 percent; and total volume of an estimated 1.233 trillion ton-miles, up 0.9 percent from last year’s first 43 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 26. Intermodal traffic totaled 44,547 trailers and containers, up 14.1 percent from last year. Carload volume of 65,175 cars was up 1.7 percent from the comparable week last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 43 weeks of 2002 on the Canadian railroads totaled 2,568,812 carloads, down 2.6 percent from last year, and 1,660,028 trailers and containers, up 10.2 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 43 weeks of 2002 on 16 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 16,783,929 carloads, down 1.2 percent from last year and 9,376,786 trailers and containers, up 5.0 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended
October 26 totaled 11,700 cars originated or received from connecting lines, up 17.3 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 4,055 trailers or containers, down 5.5 percent from the 43rd week of 2001. For the first 43 weeks of 2002, TFM reported cumulative volume of 453,896 cars, up 2.6 percent from last year, and 159,385 trailers or containers, up 7.7 percent.