AAR: Rail traffic continues to drop

For the week ending Dec. 19, 2015, total U.S. rail traffic was 525, 555 carloads and intermodal units, down 9.5% compared with the same week in 2014, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on Dec. 23. U.S. carloads fell nearly 15%; Canadian carloads dropped nearly 14%; North American (U.S., Canada, Mexico combined) intermodal down 4.3%.

Total carloads for the week ending Dec. 19 were 262,070 carloads, down 14.9% compared with the same week in 2014, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 263,485 containers and trailers, down 3.5% compared to 2014.

Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2014. They included miscellaneous carloads, up 38.3% to 10,718 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, up 12.9% to 19,773 carloads; and chemicals, up 6.1% to 31,187 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2014 included coal, down 29.9% to 85,021 carloads; metallic ores and metals, down 25.3% to 20,647 carloads; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 20.7% to 13,137 carloads.

For the first 50 weeks of 2015, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 13,851,558 carloads, down 5.6% from the same point last year; and 13,338,522 intermodal units, up 1.6% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 50 weeks of 2015 was 27,190,080 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 2.2% compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending Dec. 19, 2015, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 353,391 carloads, down 13.6% compared with the same week last year, and 330,120 intermodal units, down 4.3% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 683,511 carloads and intermodal units, down 9.4%. North American rail volume for the first 50 weeks of 2015 was 35,407,603 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.9% compared with 2014.

Canadian railroads reported 74,224 carloads for the week, down 13.6%, and 57,502 intermodal units, down 6.1% compared with the same week in 2014. For the first 50 weeks of 2015, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,856,577 carloads, containers and trailers, down 1.3%.

Mexican railroads reported 17,097 carloads for the week, up 10.7% compared with the same week last year, and 9,133 intermodal units, down 14.5%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 50 weeks of 2015 was 1,360,946 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.4% from the same point last year.