AAR: U.S. freight traffic gains continue

U.S. freight carload volume rose 0.5% for the week ending Nov. 12, 2011, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday. U.S. intermodal volume advanced 5.2% for the week, measured against the comparable week one year ago, AAR said.

AAR said 10 of the 20 carload commodity groups it measures posted increases compared with the same week in 2010, including: petroleum products, up 22%; metals and products, up 13.9%; and motor vehicles and equipment, up 13.2%. Declining commodity groups included grain, down 18.3%, and primary forest products, down 11.4.%

Canadian freight carload volume, by contrast, declined 2% during the week compared with the same week last year, and Canadian intermodal volume also fell, down 0.4%. Mexican freight carload volume rose 4% compared with the same week last year, and intermodal rose 14.5%.

Combined North American freight carload volume for the first 45 weeks of 2011 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads was up 2.15 compared with the same point last year, while intermodal was 5% above last year’s level.