(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on January 27.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rail freight traffic on U.S. railroads declined during the week ended January 22 in comparison with the corresponding week a year ago at least partly due to winter storms, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
The AAR reported that railroads moved 29.3 billion ton-miles of freight during the week ended January 22, 3.9 percent less than in the comparable week a year ago. Carload freight totaled 316.569 cars, down 4.3 percent from 2004, with loadings down 2.3 percent in the East and 5.8 percent in the West. In spite of the continued closure of some rail lines out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, rose 5.1 percent from 2004, totaling 206,838 trailers or containers.
Fifteen of 19 carload commodities were down from the comparable 2004 week, with farm products other than grain down 43.3 percent, food and food products down 11.3 percent and grain down 8.8 percent. Loadings of metallic ores rose 16.2 percent while coke volume was up 4.1 percent.
Cumulative volume for the first three weeks of 2005 totaled 968,216 carloads, down 1.7 percent from 2004; 626,765 trailers or containers, up 7.2 percent; and total volume of an estimated 89.3 billion ton-miles, down 1.1 percent from last year.
On Canadian railroads, during the week ended January 22 carload traffic totaled 60,603 cars, down 7.0 percent from last year while intermodal volume totaled 37,326 trailers or containers, down 4.7 percent from last year.
Cumulative originations for the first three weeks of 2005 on the Canadian railroads totaled 184,816 carloads, down 3.5 percent from last year, and 115,627 trailers and containers, down 2.1 percent from last year.
Combined cumulative volume for the first three weeks of 2005 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 1,153,032 carloads, down 2.0 percent from last year and 742,392 trailers and containers, up 5.6 percent from last year.
The AAR also reported that originated carload freight on the Mexican railroad Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) during the week ended January 22 totaled 8,590 cars, up 9.9 percent from last year. TFM reported intermodal volume of 4,212 originated trailers or containers, up 35.2 percent from the third week of 2004. For the first three weeks of 2005, TFM reported cumulative originated volume of 24,579 cars, up 2.4 percent from last year, and 10,203 trailers or containers, up 18.3 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.