(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on July 14.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Intermodal traffic was up but carload freight was off slightly during the week ended July 9 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today. This year’s week and last year’s comparison week both included the July 4th holiday.
Carload freight for the week totaled 281,984 cars, down 1.3 percent from last year. Carload traffic was up 0.9 percent in the West but down 4.5 percent in the East.
Intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, totaled 186,669 trailers or containers, up 4.3 percent from last year, with containers up 6.2 percent and trailers down 1.4 percent.
Total volume was estimated at 27.9 billion ton-miles, up 0.4 percent from last year.
Among the seven commodities registering gains from last year were farm products other than grain, up 12.5 percent; crushed stone, sand and gravel, up 8.4 percent; and coal, up 1.4 percent. Twelve carload commodities were down for the week, with coke off 18.3 percent; metals down 16.1 percent; and nonmetallic minerals, off 14.5 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first 27 weeks of 2005 totaled 8,969,427 carloads, up 1.6 percent from 2004; 5,852,726 trailers or containers, up 6.1 percent; and total volume of an estimated 853.3 billion ton-miles, up 2.4 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended July 9 carload traffic totaled 70,168 cars, down 5.0 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 40,643 trailers or containers, down 3.4 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 27 weeks of 2005 on the Canadian railroads totaled 2,058,817 carloads, down 0.3 percent from last year, and 1,137,383 trailers and containers, up 2.3 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 27 weeks of 2005 on U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 11,028,244 carloads, up 1.2 percent from last year and 6,990,109 trailers and containers, up 5.5 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that originated carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended July 9 totaled 8,178 cars, up 4.4 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 3,060 originated trailers or containers, down 2.7 percent from the 27th week of 2004. For the first 27 weeks of 2005, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 232,721 cars, up 0.8 percent from last year, and 103,676 trailers or containers, up 6.8 percent.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 87 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. The Canadian railroads reporting to the AAR account for 91 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.