(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on October 28.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — For the second week in a row, intermodal shipments on the nation’s railroads have set a weekly record, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Railroads originated a total 0f 231,829 trailers or containers during the week ended October 23, breaking the mark set one week earlier by 574 units. Volume was up 10.5 percent from a the comparable week a year earlier.
Carload freight, which doesn’t include the intermodal data, totaled 349,541 cars, up 2.2 percent from a year ago with loadings up 4.6 percent in the West, but down 0.7 percent in the East. Total volume was estimated at 32.7 billion ton-miles, up 1.9 percent from last year.
Fourteen of 19 carload commodities registered gains from last year, with metallic ores up 26.4 percent; nonmetallic minerals up 9.1 percent; and petroleum products up 8.4 percent. Among commodities showing declines were primary forest products, off 10.5 percent, and grain, off 3.6 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 42 weeks of 2004: 14,137,425 carloads, up 2.9 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 8,838,261 trailers or containers, up 9.6 percent; and total volume of an estimated 1.281 trillion ton-miles, up 3.9 percent from last year’s first 42 weeks.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended October 23 carload traffic totaled 71,087 cars, up 1.7 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 46,334 trailers or containers, down 0.3 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 42 weeks of 2004 on the Canadian railroads totaled 2,816,322 carloads, up 7.8 percent from last year, and 1,760,504 trailers and containers, up 0.2 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 42 weeks of 2004 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 16,953,747 carloads, up 3.7 percent from last year and 10,598,765 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 23 totaled 8,831 cars, up 4.7 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 4,700 originated trailers or containers, up 44.5 percent from the 42nd week of 2003. For the first 42 weeks of 2004, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 364,751 cars, up 2.9 percent from last year, and 156,885 trailers or containers, up 6.5 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.