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After declining for a few weeks, U.S. carloadings inched up last week. During the week ending May 14, U.S. railroads originated 294,271 carloads, up 1.6 percent compared with volume from the same week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Intermodal volume climbed 6.3 percent to 231,875 units.
 
Ten of 20 carload commodity groups registered gains. Although coal carloads dipped 1 percent, export coal remains a traffic growth opportunity given pent-up demand and global expansion, Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. analysts said in their weekly “Rail Flash” report.

“Additionally, rails have indicated more normalized utility inventory levels,” they said. “UP and NS see economic growth, electrical demand recovery and new business as supporting an opportunity for year-over-year growth, while CSX’s analyst day reflected more tempered expectations for domestic utility coal growth.”
 
Meanwhile, Canadian railroads reported weekly carloads totaling 76,167 units, up 4.5 percent, and intermodal traffic totaling 49,021 units, up 1.1 percent compared with volumes from the same week last year. Mexican railroads’ weekly carloads were flat at reported 13,770 units, but their intermodal volume jumped 22.1 percent to 8,201 units.
 
Through 2011’s first 19 weeks, 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads originated 7.2 million carloads, up 3 percent, and 5.2 million containers and trailers, up 8 percent year over year.