AAR: U.S. rail traffic dips 5.6 percent in Week 28

U.S. railroads' traffic slump continued for the week ending July 16. Total U.S. weekly traffic was 520,222 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.6 percent compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported yesterday.

Total carloads for the week declined 5.4 percent to 262,202 units, while intermodal volume fell 5.8 percent to 258,020 containers and trailers compared with the week in 2015.

Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted increases for the week over last year. They were grain, up 25.3 percent to 25,681 carloads; miscellaneous, up 14 percent to 10,647 carloads; and chemicals, up 2.9 percent to 30,917 carloads.

Commodity groups that posted decreases included petroleum and petroleum products, down 15.8 percent to 11,221 carloads; coal, down 15.5 percent to 84,272 carloads; and forest products, down 10.3 percent to 9,894 carloads.

Canadian railroads logged 67,832 carloads for the week, down 11.1 percent, and 59,043 intermodal units, down 5.6 percent compared with the same week in 2015. Mexican railroads posted 16,200 carloads for the week, down 5.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,985 intermodal units, down 0.6 percent.

For the first 28 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported a total combined traffic of 13,971,001 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.6 percent compared with last year's figures. Canadian railroads posted cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,569,667 carloads, containers and trailers, down 7.8 percent; and Mexican railroads logged cumulative rail volume of 761,494 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 0.1 percent from the same point last year.