(The Association of American Railroads posted the following article on its website on February 27.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A heavy winter storm that affected much of the Northeastern United States resulted in reduced carload freight during the week ended February 22, in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
U.S. railroads originated a total of 306,836 carloads during the week, a 5.2 percent reduction from the corresponding week last year. Loadings were down 11.5 percent in the East, but just 0.1 percent in the West.
Intermodal volume was below that of other recent weeks, but still above that of the corresponding week last year. Intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, totaled 175,392 trailers and containers, up 2.6 percent from last year. Container volume was up 7.2 percent while trailer traffic was off 9.5 percent.
Total volume was estimated at 27.4 billion ton-miles, down 5.5 percent from last year.
Coal volume was especially hard hit by the storm, with loadings dropping 13.4 percent from last year. Also off sharply were loadings of lumber and wood products, down 9.8 percent; and primary forest products, down 7.4 percent. Sharp increases were reported in loadings of metallic ores, up 53.7 percent from last year; coke, up 17.5 percent; and pulp, paper and allied products, up 11.4 percent.
The AAR also reported the following cumulative totals for U.S. railroads during the first eight weeks of 2003: 2,498,276 carloads, down 0.3 percent from last year; intermodal volume of 1,416,835 trailers and containers, up 9.5 percent; and total volume of an estimated 222.4 billion ton?miles, down 0.6 percent from last year s first eight weeks.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 90 percent of U.S. carload freight and 96 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 96 percent and 100 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.
On Canadian railroads, intermodal volume was up while carload traffic was down during the week ended February 22. Intermodal traffic totaled 40,175 trailers and containers, up 3.5 percent from last year. Carload volume of 63,132 cars was down 1.8 percent from the comparable week last year.
Cumulative originations for the first eight weeks of 2003 on the Canadian railroads totaled 485,782 carloads, down 0.9 percent from last year, and 309,629 trailers and containers, up 13.4 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first eight weeks of 2003 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 2,984,058 carloads, down 0.4 percent from last year and 1,726,464 trailers and containers, up 10.2 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended February 22 totaled 9,141 cars originated, up 8.0 percent from last year. TFM reported originated intermodal volume of 3,798 trailers or containers, up 42.7 percent from the eighth week of 2002.For the first eight weeks of 2003, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 68,394 cars, up 12.6 percent from last year, and 27,500 trailers or containers, up 55.9 percent.