Intermodal continues to lead U.S. rail traffic in Week 24

Intermodal rail traffic continued to outpace carload traffic at U.S. railroads during the 24th week of 2015, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) announced Wednesday.

Total carloads for the week ending June 20, 2015 were 273,932 carloads, down 6.1 percent compared with the same week in 2014, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 276,907 containers and trailers, up 1.6 percent compared to 2014. Total weekly rail traffic was 550,839 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.4 percent.

Canadian railroads logged 77,147 carloads for the week, down 11.3 percent, and 62,761 intermodal units, up 5.1 percent compared with the same week in 2014. Mexican railroads reported 17,191 carloads for the week, up 2.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,809 intermodal units, up 5.1 percent.

For the first 24 weeks of 2015, U.S. railroads' total combined volume of 12,987,628 carloads and intermodal units was down 0.8 percent compared with the same period in 2014; Canadian railroads' cumulative volume of 3,319,154 carloads, containers and trailers was up 2.6 percent; and Mexican railroads' cumulative volume of 643,647 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers was up 2.7 percent.