(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on September 2.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. railroads originated 1,364,950 carloads of freight in August 2004, up 1.5 percent (19,770 carloads) over August 2003, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today. U.S. rail intermodal traffic, which is not included in carload figures, totaled 876,056 trailers and containers in August 2004, up 10.8 percent (85,429 units) compared to August 2003.
Coal, destined mainly for power plants, paced carload traffic gains. U.S. railroads originated 551,501 carloads of coal in August 2004, up 3.7 percent (19,822 carloads) over August 2003; carloads of chemicals totaled 120,479, up 5.5 percent (6,323 carloads); and carloads of metals and metal products totaled 54,964 carloads (up 11.8 percent, or 5,811 carloads). Carloads of grain totaled 79,434 in August 2004, down 7.0 percent (5,947 carloads) from 2003, while carloads of motor vehicles and equipment were essentially flat at 89,042 units.
For the first eight months of 2004, total U.S. rail carloadings of 11,388,043 units were up 3.3 percent (368,951 carloads). Coal carloads during this period totaled 4,478,024, up 3.1 percent (134,767 carloads), while chemical carloadings (the second largest individual commodity category behind coal) were up 5.2 percent (50,953) to 1,029,062 carloads. Carloads of grain totaled 735,529 in 2004 through August, up 7.5 percent (51,593 carloads). Commodities showing year-to-date carload declines through August include motor vehicles and equipment (down 2.2 percent, or 17,623, to 779,244 carloads) and food products (down 3.3 percent, or 9,691, to 280,547 carloads).
U.S. intermodal traffic in 2004 through August totaled 7,048,452 trailers and containers, up 9.5 percent (612,938 units) over 2003.
“Rail traffic figures continue to indicate that record-setting quantities of goods are moving on U.S. railroads,” noted AAR Vice President Craig F. Rockey. “Four of the top 13 highest volume intermodal weeks ever, including the highest week ever, occurred in August 2004. Because of increasing power generation needs and improving exports, coal traffic is up, and chemical traffic is rising thanks to our expanding industrial economy. As we move into peak traffic season, railroads are positioning themselves to handle freight transportation demand as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.” Canadian rail carload traffic (which includes the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads) was up 9.9 percent (23,670 carloads) in August 2004 to 262,317 units, thanks largely to surges in carloads of coal (29,966 carloads, up 24.5 percent over August 2003) and chemicals (55,092 carloads, up 9.2 percent over August 2003. Canadian intermodal traffic totaled 168,469 trailers and containers in August 2004, up 0.9 percent (1,422 units) over August 2003).
For the first eight months of 2004, Canadian carload traffic totaled 2,269,081 units, up 8.8 percent (184,285 carloads), while Canadian intermodal traffic was down 0.1 percent (1,560 units) to 1,411,193 trailers and containers.
Carloads originated on Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM), a major Mexican railroad, were up 11.6 percent (3,719 carloads) in August 2004 to 35,682 carloads, while intermodal originations of 16,265 units were up 24.5 percent (3,205 trailers and containers). For the first eight months of 2004, TFM carloadings of 290,895 units were up 0.5 percent (1,423 carloads), while intermodal traffic rose 2.2 percent (2,712 units) to 123,255 trailers and containers.
For just the week ended August 28, the AAR reported the following totals for U.S. railroads: 350,140 carloads, up 1.0 percent from the corresponding week in 2003, with loadings up 2.3 percent in the East and down 0.1 percent in the West; intermodal volume of 226,074 trailers and containers (the highest weekly total ever, breaking the record set the week ending July 31, 2004), up 11.4 percent; and total volume of an estimated 31.8 billion ton-miles, up 1.9 percent from the equivalent week last year.
For Canadian railroads during the week ended August 28, the AAR reported volume of 66,416 carloads, up 5.5 percent from last year; and 42,603 trailers and containers, down 2.1 percent from the corresponding week in 2003.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 34 weeks of 2004 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 13,657,124 carloads, up 4.2 percent (553,236 carloads) from last year, and 8,459,645 trailers and containers, up 7.8 percent (611,378 units) from 2003’s first 34 weeks.