Rail traffic: U.S. carloads down, intermodal up in Week 29

Total U.S. railroads' traffic numbers dipped 2.5 percent to 557,612 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending July 25, the Association of American Railroads reported Wednesday.

Compared with the same week last year, total carload volume dropped 6.7 percent to 286,660 carloads, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume rose 2.3 percent to 270,952 containers and trailers.

Only one of 10 commodity groups posted increases last week: Grain jumped 10.9 percent 22,091 carloads. Commodity traffic volume decreases included  metallic ores and metals, down 14.9 percent to 24,609 carloads, and coal, down 10.9 percent to 103,588 carloads compared with the same week in 2014.

Canadian railroads logged 78,271 carloads for the week, down 5.1 percent, while the intermodal traffic increased 2.8 percent to 62,604 units. Mexican railroads reported 17,650 carloads for the week, up 9.6 percent, and 10,857 intermodal units, down 4.9 percent.

For the first 29 weeks of the year, total combined U.S. traffic was 15,684,771 carloads and intermodal units, down 1 percent compared with the same period in 2014; Canadian railroads’ cumulative traffic volume was 4,010,705 carloads, containers and trailers, up 1.8 percent; and Mexican railroads’ cumulative volume was 780,610 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.4 percent.