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The dynamo that is intermodal continues to keep North American rails on the growth track.

For the week ending March 11, U.S. and Canadian railroads originated 268,671 intermodal units – an 8.5 percent increase compared with the traffic they originated during the same week in 2005, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data. And for the first 10 weeks of 2006, railroads originated 2,667,120 trailers and containers, a 4.3 percent hike compared with the total registered during the same 2005 period.

For the week ending March 11, U.S. roads originated 168,016 containers, a 12.8 percent increase compared with the same week in 2005. And for the year’s first 10 weeks, U.S. roads originated 1,689,505 containers, a 5.7 percent increase compared with the same 2005 period. Through the year’s first 10 weeks:

* Union Pacific Railroad originated 595,077 units, an 8.6 percent increase compared with the same period last year; received 89,716 units, a 10.6 percent increase; and, overall, carried 684,793 units, an 8.9 percent hike.

* Norfolk Southern Railway originated 451,007 units, a 6.3 percent increase; received 154,754 units, a 4.3 percent increase; and, overall, carried 605,761 units, a 5.8 percent increase.

* BNSF Railway Co. originated 855,547 units, a 3.5 percent increase; received 113,810 units, a 3 percent decrease; and, overall, carried 969,357 units, a 2.6 percent increase.

* CSXT Transportation originated 283,379 intermodal units, a 2.6 percent decrease; received 102,806 units, a 10.1 percent decrease; and, overall, carried 386,185 units, a 4.7 percent decrease.

* Kansas City Southern originated 12,025 units, a 21.2 percent decrease; received 41,505 units, a 7.8 percent decrease; and, overall, carried 53,530 units, an 11.2 percent decrease.

Meanwhile, coal and agricultural products -- both up 2.2 percent for the year’s first 10 weeks – essentially were the only other commodities for which U.S. roads posted growth. Among individual railroads’ carload contributions for the year’s first 10 weeks:

* BNSF originated 843,734 carloads, a 4.9 percent increase compared with the same period last year; received 129,506 carloads, a 2.8 percent decrease; and, overall, carried 973,240 carloads, a 3.8 percent hike.

* NS originated 652,629 units, a 1.4 percent increase; received 246,560 units, a 4.5 percent hike; and, overall, carried 899,189 units, a 2.2 percent increase.

* UP originated 926,491 carloads, a 0.6 percent decrease; received 241,463 carloads, a 3.4 percent increase; and, overall, carried 1,167,954 carloads, a 0.2 percent increase.

* CSXT originated 754,781 carloads, a 0.9 percent decrease compared with the same 2005 period; received 245,310 carloads, a 0.1 percent improvement; and, overall, carried 1,000,091 units, a decrease of 0.7 percent.

* KCS originated 63,835 carloads, a 7.9 percent decrease; received 82,650 carloads, a 0.4 percent increase; and, overall, carried 146,485 carloads, a 3.4 percent decrease.

In Canada, the traffic growth was a bit more diverse -- but only a bit. For the week ending March 11, Canadian rails originated 14,256 ag product carloads, an 8.8 percent increase compared with the same 2005 period; for the year’s first 10 weeks, ag products were up 10.3 percent. For the week ending March 11, Canadian rails originated 42,800 containers, an 8 percent increase compared with the same period last year; for the first 10 weeks, container traffic was up 4.9 percent.

During the year’s first 10 weeks, Canadian National Railway originated 504,101 carloads, a 0.l percent decrease compared with the same 2005 period; received 137,269 carloads, a 4.8 percent decrease; and, overall, carried 641,370 carloads, a 1.1 percent decrease. Canadian Pacific Railway originated 229,160 carloads, a 5.6 percent decrease; received 51,049 carloads, a 4.8 percent decrease; and, overall, carried 280,209 carloads, a 5.4 percent decrease.

On the intermodal front, CN originated 220,255 carloads, a 4 percent increase; received 13,237 units, a 15.5 percent decrease; and, overall, carried 233,492 units, a 2.7 percent increase. CPR originated 207,442 units, a 4.1 percent increase; received 10,419 units, an 11.3 percent increase; and, overall, carried 217,861 units, a 4.4 percent increase.