Rail intermodal traffic tops carloads in Week 46

U.S. railroads moved 554,066 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending Nov. 18, a 1.2 percent increase compared with the same week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Total carloads for the week declined 1.6 percent to 266,927 units, while the number of intermodal containers and trailers rose 3.9 percent to 287,139 units compared with the same week in 2016, according to an AAR press release.

Four of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks on a weekly basis posted increases compared with a year ago. They included metallic ores and metals, up 4,537 carloads to 23,696; nonmetallic minerals, up 3,675 carloads to 38,355; and chemicals, up 1,334 carloads to 31,939.

Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with last year included coal, down 8,528 carloads to 86,185; grain, down 3,841 carloads to 21,926; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 887 carloads, to 10,184.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads logged 79,822 carloads for the week, down 2.5 percent, and 68,407 intermodal units, up 8.5 percent compared with the same week in 2016. Mexican railroads reported 16,382 carloads for the week, up 9.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 12,294 intermodal units, up 10.3 percent.

For the first 46 weeks of 2017, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 11,969,281 carloads, up 3 percent from the same point last year; and 12,420,150 intermodal units, up 3.7 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 46 weeks of 2017 was 24,389,431 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.4 percent compared to last year.

Also during the 46-week period, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 6,704,658 carloads, containers and trailers, up 10.8 percent compared with a year ago. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 46 weeks of 2017 was 1,264,576 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.4 percent from the same point last year.