(The following report appeared on the Association of American Railroads’ website on October 14.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Intermodal volume on U.S. railroads was at its second highest weekly level ever during the week ended October 9, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Intermodal volume of 230,237 trailers or containers trailed only the week ended September 25 when railroads moved 231,025 trailers or containers. Container volume was up 11.4 percent from last year while trailer volume gained 9.3 percent.
Carload freight, which doesn’t include the intermodal data, totaled 349,092 units, up 1.7 percent from last year. Carload volume was up 3.5 percent in the West but down 0.5 percent in the East. Total volume was estimated at 32.7 billion ton-miles, up 1.9 percent from last year.
Twelve of 19 carload commodities were up from last year, with metallic ores up 16.7 percent; petroleum products up 10.5 percent and metals up 10.4 percent. Among commodities registering declines were grain, off 6.7 percent, and primary forest products, down 6.4 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 40 weeks of 2004: 13,433,660 carloads, up 3.0 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 8,375,177 trailers or containers, up 9.6 percent; and total volume of an estimated 1.215 trillion ton-miles, up 4.0 percent from last year’s first 40 weeks.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended October 9 carload traffic totaled 73,048 cars, up 7.7 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 44,609 trailers or containers, down 0.9 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 40 weeks of 2004 on the Canadian railroads totaled 2,677,613 carloads, up 8.1 percent from last year, and 1,671,695 trailers and containers, up 0.1 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 40 weeks of 2004 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 16,111,273 carloads, up 3.8 percent from last year and 10,046,872 trailers and containers, up 7.9 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that originated carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended October 9 totaled 9,535 cars, up 12.1 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 4,400 originated trailers or containers, up 30.6 percent from the 40th week of 2003. For the first 40 weeks of 2004, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 346,473 cars, up 2.5 percent from last year, and 147,911 trailers or containers, up 5.2 percent.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 88 percent of U.S. carload freight and 95 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 95 percent and 100 percent. The Canadian railroads reporting to the AAR account for 90 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.