Intermodal still leading freight rebound: AAR
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefThe Association of American Railroads said Thursday U.S. rail intermodal volume for the week ending Aug. 21, 2010 set a new 2010 record for the second consecutive week, up 22.4% from the same week in 2009, and up 2.6% compared with 2008.
AAR also noted weekly container volume, a subset of intermodal, was the highest on record, also for the second consecutive week, up 24.2% compared with the same week in 2009, and up 11.5% with the same week in 2008. Trailer volume, the other intermodal subset, rose 12.4% compared with the same week in 2009, but was down 30.5% from the comparable 2008 period.
U.S. freight carload traffic “continued moderate weekly gains,” AAR said, up 6.2% from the year-ago period but down 11% from the comparable week in 2008. Fourteen of the 19 carload commodity groups increased from the comparable week in 2009. All 19 carload commodity groups trailed comparable 2008 levels of traffic.
Canadian freight carload traffic rose 10.5% for the week compared with 2009, while intermodal advanced 21.7%. Mexican freight carload traffic advanced 19.5% from a year ago, while intermodal rose 12.6%.
Combined North American rail volume for the first 33 weeks of 2010 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads was up 10% from last year, with intermodal up 14.8% from last year.
