(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on March 11.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. railroads reported solid gains in traffic during the week ended March 5 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Intermodal traffic totaled 199,866 trailers or containers, up 10.8 percent from the comparable week last year. Trailer traffic gained 12.3 percent, while container volume was up 10.3 percent from last year.
Carload freight, which does not include the intermodal data, totaled 329,981 cars, up 4.0 percent from last year with volume up 2.4 percent in the East and 5.5 percent in the West. Total volume was estimated at 29.6 billion ton-miles, up 5.3 percent from last year.
Fourteen of 19 carload commodity groups showed gains from last year with coke up 54.5 percent; grain up 17.6 percent; and both lumber and wood products and waste and scrap materials up 14.1 percent. Loadings of primary forest products were down 14.0 percent while farm products other than grain were off 4.9 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first nine weeks of 2004: 2,940,777 carloads, up 2.9 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 1,759,271 trailers or containers, up 6.5 percent; and total volume of an estimated 263.2 billion ton-miles, up 4.2 percent from last year’s first nine weeks.
Canadian railroads also reported increases in both carload and intermodal freight during the week ended March 6. Carload volume totaled 67,652 cars, up 14.5 percent. Intermodal traffic totaled 38,363 trailers or containers, up 1.1 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first nine weeks of 2004 on the Canadian railroads totaled 578,974 carloads, up 5.0 percent from last year, and 350,000 trailers and containers, down 1.8 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first nine weeks of 2004 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 3,519,751 carloads, up 3.2 percent from last year and 2,109,271 trailers and containers, up 5.0 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that originated carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended March 6 totaled 8,849 cars, down 9.4 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 3,708 originated trailers or containers, down 4.8 percent from the ninth week of 2003. For the first nine weeks of 2004, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 72,963 cars, down 9.8 percent from last year, and 30,134 trailers or containers, down 10.2 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.