Weekly freight traffic, intermodal volume drops

For the week ending Oct. 24, 2015, total U.S. rail traffic was 553,144 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.6% compared with the same week in 2014, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on Oct. 28, 2015.

Total carloads for the week were 284,523 carloads, down 7.4% compared with the same week in 2014, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 268,621 containers and trailers, down 3.7% compared to 2014.

Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2014. They are: grain, up 13% to 25,301 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, up 9.9% to 18,984; and miscellaneous carloads, up 2.6% to 8,972. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2014 included: petroleum and petroleum products, down 21.7% to 13,273 carloads; metallic ores and metals, down 18.5% to 21,759 carloads; and coal, down 12.7% to 100,829 carloads.

For the first 42 weeks of 2015, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 11,725,829 carloads, down 4.5% from the same point last year; and 11,236,197 intermodal units, up 2.2% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 42 weeks of 2015 was 22,962,026 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 1.3% compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending Oct. 24, 2015 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 374,774 carloads, down 9.6% compared with the same week last year, and 340,848 intermodal units, down 2.7% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 715,622 carloads and intermodal units, down 6.4%. North American rail volume for the first 42 weeks of 2015 was 29,895,549 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.1% compared with 2014.

Canadian railroads reported 74,282 carloads for the week, down 18.1%, and 61,388 intermodal units, up 3.6% compared with the same week in 2014. For the first 42 weeks of 2015, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,784,017 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.6%.

Mexican railroads reported 15,969 carloads for the week, down 3.7% compared with the same week last year, and 10,839 intermodal units, down 10.2%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 42 weeks of 2015 was 1,149,506 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.7% from the same point last year.