U.S. rail traffic mixed in week ended Aug. 13, with originated carloads down 1.2% year over year, intermodal volume up 0.8%: AAR

Liling Tan

WASHINGTON , August 18, 2011 (press release) – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported mixed results for weekly rail traffic, with U.S. railroads originating 292,266 carloads for the week ending August 13, 2011, down 1.2 percent compared with the same week last year. Intermodal volume for the week totaled 235,598 trailers and containers, up 0.8 percent compared with the same week last year.

Eleven of the 20 carload commodity groups posted increases from the comparable week in 2010, including: metallic ores, up 25.2 percent; iron and steel scrap, up 22.4 percent, and petroleum products, up 15.8 percent. Groups showing a decrease in weekly traffic included: farm products excluding grain, down 25.1 percent; waste and nonferrous scrap, down 20.3 percent, and nonmetallic minerals, down 13 percent.

Weekly carload volume on Eastern railroads was flat compared with the same week last year. In the West, weekly carload volume was down 1.9 percent compared with the same week in 2010.

For the first 32 weeks of 2011, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 9,230,496 carloads, up 2.1 percent from the same point last year, and 7,222,948 trailers and containers, up 6.5 percent from last year.

Canadian railroads reported 75,233 carloads for the week, up 2.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 50,691 trailers and containers, down 0.3 percent compared with 2010. For the first 32 weeks of 2011, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,371,373 carloads, up 2.4 percent from the same point last year, and 1,512,558 trailers and containers, up 2.1 percent from last year.

Mexican railroads reported 14,388 carloads for the week, up 2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 9,937 trailers and containers, up 42.6 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 32 weeks of 2011 was 458,807 carloads, up 4.9 percent compared with the same point last year, and 257,643 trailers and containers, up 25.1 percent.

Combined North American rail volume for the first 32 weeks of 2011 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 12,060,676 carloads, up 2.2 percent compared with the same point last year, and 8,993,149 trailers and containers, up 6.2 percent compared with last year.

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