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For the second consectutive week, U.S. carloadings have declined, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data. During the week ending April 23, U.S. railroads originated 292,706 carloads, down 2.1 percent compared with volume from the same week last year. Severe weather across a large portion of the Midwest and Southeast, as well as a non-holiday comparison week in 2010 factored into the decline, AAR officials said in a weekly traffic report.
 
Only six of 20 carload commodity groups registered gains. However, U.S. railroads’ intermodal volume rose 6.3 percent to 225,668 units.

Secular intermodal growth is being fueled by tight truckload capacity, higher fuel prices and Eastern rail infrastructure development, according to Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc.’s weekly “Rail Flash” report.

“Eastern rail intermodal continues strong growth,” Baird analysts said in the report. “In the West, we continue to monitor share shift between UP and BNSF, partially a result of BNSF more aggressively attracting market share and in part due to changes in UP’s underlying intermodal partner contracts (i.e., eliminating Pacer Wholesale).”
 
Meanwhile, Canadian railroads reported weekly carloads of 75,589 units, up 1 percent, and intermodal volume of 46,114 units, up 0.6 percent year over year. Mexican railroads’ weekly carloadings dropped 18.3 percent to 11,441 units, but intermodal volume increased 1.8 percent to 6,352 units.
 
Through 2011’s first 16 weeks, 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads originated 6 million carloads, up 3.5 percent, and 4.4 million containers and trailers, up 7.9 percent vs. volumes from the same 2010 period.

For more AAR traffic data for the week ending April 23 and through 16 weeks, follow this link.