WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. rail carload traffic rose 1.5 percent (20,405 carloads) while intermodal rail traffic rose 8.0 percent (58,541 units) in August 2002 compared to August 2001, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on September 5.
For the third straight month, metallic ores (used mainly in steelmaking) paced all other commodities, with U.S. rail carloads rising 17.5 percent (11,289 carloads) in August 2002 compared with August 2001. Metals and metal products (up 11.0 percent, or 5,673 carloads), chemicals (up 3.6 percent, or 3,973 carloads), and waste or scrap material (up 7.9 percent, or 2,943 carloads) were among other commodity categories showing carload gains in August. All told, 13 of the 19 commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw carload increases in August 2002 compared with August 2001.
On the down side, U.S. rail carloads of coal fell 0.8 percent (4,290 carloads) in August, grain carloads fell 4.6 percent (3,915 carloads), and carloads of primary forest products fell 12.3 percent (2,418 carloads).
Through August, total year-to-date U.S. rail carloadings (11,472,002 carloads) were down 1.2 percent (140,835 carloads), including year-to-date declines in carloads of coal (down 3.8 percent, or 177,291 carloads), coke (down 16.2 percent, or 23,303 carloads), and primary forest products (down 11.0 percent, or 18,528 carloads). On the positive side, carloads of motor vehicles and equipment were up 3.6 percent (28,903 carloads) in 2002 through August, carloads of metallic ores were up 4.1 percent (19,521 carloads), and carloads of chemicals were up 2.0 percent (19,230 carloads).
Year-to-date U.S. intermodal traffic (6,253,797 trailers and containers) was up 5.1 percent (305,871 trailers and containers), including a 9.1 percent increase (381,229 units) in container volume.
Total volume through 35 weeks was estimated at 983.5 billion ton-miles, down 0.4 percent from the first 35 weeks of last year.
“August marked the third straight month in which total year-over-year U.S. rail carloadings increased, and the fifth straight month in which intermodal traffic growth exceeded 7.4 percent,” noted AAR Vice President Craig F. Rockey.
“While we obviously would like to see overall rail traffic increase at a higher rate in the months ahead, rail traffic levels for many important industrial sectors — for example, chemicals and motor vehicles — are up noticeably from last year. The continued vigorous performance by the intermodal sector is a function of the serious efforts railroads have made to meet the needs of their customers.” Canadian intermodal traffic was up 15.6 percent (21,891 units) in August 2002, while Canadian rail carload traffic was flat during the month. Canadian grain carloadings continued to decline, falling 20.2 percent (7,158 carloads) in August, and coal carloadings were down 5.6 percent (1,873 carloads). On the positive side, carloads of chemicals were up 11.3 percent (5,325 carloads) and carloads of motor vehicles and equipment rose 12.3 percent (3,716 carloads).
For the first eight months of 2002, Canadian carload traffic (2,081,542 carloads) was down 3.1 percent (65,566 carloads), while Canadian intermodal traffic (1,322,368 trailers and containers) through August 2002 was up 9.1 percent (110,248 units).
Carloads originated on Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM), a major Mexican railroad, were down 34.0 percent (9,024 carloads) in August, while intermodal originations were up 18.4 percent (2,129 trailers and containers).
For the first eight months of 2002, TFM carloadings were up 3.9 percent (9,882 carloads), while TFM intermodal traffic was up 16.5 percent (14,014 units). For just the week ended August 31, the AAR reported the following totals for U.S. railroads: 352,670 carloads, down 0.1 percent from the corresponding week in 2001, with loadings up 2.0 percent in the East and down 1.7 percent in the West; intermodal volume of 202,557 trailers and containers, up 8.3 percent; and total volume of an estimated 30.4 billion ton-miles, up 0.3 percent from the equivalent week last year.
For Canadian railroads during the week ended August 31, the AAR reported volume of 60,028 carloads, down 3.5 percent from last year; and 40,858 trailers and containers, up 14.8 percent from the corresponding week in 2001.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 35 weeks of 2002 on 16 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 13,553,544 carloads, down 1.5 percent (206,401 carloads) from last year; and 7,576,165 trailers and containers, up 5.8 percent (416,119 units) from 2001’s first 35 weeks.