AAR: U.S. carload traffic drops nearly 6 percent, intermodal steady in Week 40

U.S. freight railroads reported total weekly carload traffic was down 5.8 percent, while intermodal volume inched up 0.5 percent for the week ending Oct. 10 compared with the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) announced yesterday.

Total U.S. rail traffic was 556,233 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.8 percent compared with the same week last year.

Five of 10 commodity groups posted an increase for the week, including: miscellaneous carloads, up 24.4 percent to 10,256; grain, up 21.3 percent to 24,818 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, up 2 percent to 17,846. Commodities that logged decreases included: metallic ores and metals, down 23.5 percent to 20,084 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 16.6 percent to 13,621 carloads; and coal, down 12.6 percent to 98,637 carloads.

Canadian railroads’ carload volume plummeted 16.1 percent to 75,459 carloads, but intermodal traffic rose 4.2 percent to 62,664 units.

Mexican railroads reported 15,629 carloads, up 8.7 percent, and 13,341 intermodal units, up 3.7 percent.

For the first 40 weeks of 2015 compared with the period a year ago, U.S. railroads posted cumulative volume of 11,161,759 carloads, down 4.4 percent, and 10,692,427 intermodal units, up 2.4 percent.

Canadian roads logged cumulative volume of 5,516,560 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.2 percent during the 40-week period. Mexican railroads during the period recorded cumulative volume of 1,093,386 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.5 percent from the same point last year.