Rail freight posts steady gains

Energy carloads showed two sides of the same coin for the week of June 10 as coal continued to climb while petroleum shipments were weaker on-year.

Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 545,317 carloads and intermodal units, up 6.2% for the week ending June 10 compared with the same week in 2016, according to the Association of American Railroads.

Traffic totaled 265,717 carloads, up 7.1%, while intermodal volume was 279,600 containers and trailers, up 5.3%.

Five of the 10 carload commodity groups tracked by AAR posted an increase from the same week in 2016 led by coal, up 16.7% to 85,516 carloads; nonmetallic minerals, up 13.6% to 39,867 carloads, and grain, up 10.4% to 22,409 carloads. Decliners included petroleum and petroleum products, 11.3% to 9,601 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, 5.7% to 17,776 carloads, and farm products excluding grain, and food, 4.2% to 15,857 carloads.

For the first 23 weeks of 2017, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 5,899,194 carloads, up 6.8% over the 2016 period, and 6,058,698 intermodal units, up 2.4%. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 23 weeks of 2017 was 11,957,892 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 4.6%.

North American rail volume for the week ending June 10 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 360,753 carloads, up 8%, and 360,333 intermodal units, up 7.5%, from the 2016 period. Total combined weekly rail traffic was 721,086 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.7%. Volume was 15,843,974 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.6%.

Canadian railroads reported 77,599 carloads for the week, up 13.3%, and 68,826 intermodal units, up 18.3% compared to the same week in 2016. For the first 23 weeks of this year, volume was 3,272,237 carloads, containers and trailers, up 11.3%.

Mexican railroads reported 17,437 carloads for the week, down 0.1%, and 11,907 intermodal units, up 2.1%. Cumulative volume for the first 23 weeks of 2017 was 613,845 carloads and intermodal containers/ trailers, down 1.8%.