WASHINGTON, D.C. — Due to the work stoppage at West Coast Ports, intermodal traffic on U.S. railroads during the week ended October 5 dropped by more than 50,000 units during the week ended October 5, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on October 10.
Intermodal volume totaled 134,319 trailers and containers during the week, down 29.0 percent from the comparable week last year. Container volume dropped 39.6 percent, while trailer loadings declined by 2.9 percent.
Carload freight, which doesn’t include the intermodal data, was off slightly from last year, totaling 342,306 cars, down 1.9 percent. Carload volume was down 2.0 percent in the West and 1.8 percent in the East. Total volume was estimated at 29.4 billion ton-miles, down 1.3 percent from the 40th week of 2001.
Loadings in ten out of 19 commodity groups included in the carload data registered gains from last year, with farm products other than grain up 33.6 percent; waste and scrap materials gaining 12.7 percent; and metals and products rising 8.7 percent. On the down side, grain loadings, which were also affected by the West Coast lockout, declined by 12.5 percent. Sharp declines were also reported in loadings of primary forest products, off 11.5 percent, and petroleum products, down 10.1 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first 40 weeks of 2002: 13, 176,808 carloads, down 1.0 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 7,163,661 trailers and containers, up 4.4 percent; and total volume of an estimated 1.143 trillion ton-miles, up 0.9 percent from last year’s first 40 weeks.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 90 percent of U.S. carload freight and 97 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 96 percent and 99 percent. Railroads provide more than 40 percent of the nation’s intercity freight transportation, more than any other mode, and rail traffic figures are regarded as an important economic indicator.
Canadian railroads reported a gain in intermodal volume but a small drop in carload freight during the week ended October 5. Intermodal traffic totaled 43,120 trailers and containers, up 15.9 percent from last year. Carload volume of 61,407 cars was down 0.5 percent from the comparable week last year.
Cumulative originations for the first 40 weeks of 2002 on the Canadian railroads totaled 2,382,723 carloads, down 2.8 percent from last year, and 1,531,646 trailers and containers, up 9.9 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 40 weeks of 2002 on 16 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 15,559,531 carloads, down 1.3 percent from last year and 8,695,307 trailers and containers, up 5.3 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended October 5 totaled 10,914 cars originated or received from connecting lines, down 1.2 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 3,982 trailers or containers, up 7.8 percent from the 40th week of 2001. For the first 40 weeks of 2002, TFM reported cumulative volume of 419,337 cars, up 1.6 percent from last year, and 146,924 trailers or containers, up 7.4 percent.