AAR: Weekly traffic steady; intermodal up

U.S. freight carload traffic was “steady” for the week ending Oct. 2, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday, up 7.7% compared with the same week a year ago, though down 10.7% from the comparable week in 2008. Sixteen of the 19 carload commodity groups increased from the comparable week in 2009, with metallic ores gaining sharply, up 112.2%.

U.S. intermodal traffic continued showing strength, up 16.5% from the same week in 2009, and down just 1.9% compared with 2008. Container volume, an intermodal subset, increased 17.6% compared with 2009, and was up 5.8% compared with 2008. Trailer volume, by contrast, also rose compared with 2009, up 10.2%, but dropped 30.6% compared with 2008.

Canadian freight carload teaffic rose 6.9% compared with the same week last year, while intermodal advanced 18.2%. Mexico’s two major railroads reported freight carload traffic rose 13.6% from the same week last year, with intermodal gaining a similar 13.7%.

Combined North American rail volume for the first 39 weeks of 2010 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads was up 9.8% from last year, while intermodal rose 15.2%.