AAR: U.S. traffic

U.S. freight carload traffic fell 1.4%, but U.S. intermodal volume rose 0.9%, during the week ending Sept. 17, 2011, measured against the comparable week in 2010, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday.

AAR noted the intermodal volume for the week “is the highest since Week 40 of 2008.”Of the 20 carload commodity groups tracked by AAR, 11 notched increases for the week compared with 2010, including: petroleum products, up 19.2%; lumber and wood products, up 14.8%; and metals and products, up 12.8%. Groups showing a decrease in weekly traffic included: grain, down 17.6%; primary forest products, down 12.5%; and nonmetallic minerals, down 10.1%.

Canadian freight carload volume rose 3.2% compared with the same week last year, while intermodal declined 1%. Mexican freight carload volume edged up 0.2% over the same week of a year ago, while intermodal advanced 18.8%.

Combined North American freight carload volume for the first 37 weeks of 2011 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads was up 2% compared with the same point last year, with intermodal up 5.3% compared with last year.