AAR: U.S. rail traffic falls 5.3 percent in Week 29

U.S. railroads logged 528,070 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending July 23, a decrease of 5.3 percent compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) announced yesterday.

Total carloads for the week slipped to 261,748 units, down 8.7 percent compared with the same week in 2015. U.S. weekly intermodal volume clocked in at 266,322 containers and trailers, down 1.7 percent compared to 2015.

Carload commodity groups posting decreases for the week included petroleum and petroleum products, down 27.5 percent to 10,260 carloads; coal, down 19.4 percent to 83,677 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, down 13.8 percent to 14,615 carloads.

Four of the 10 commodity groups posted increases during the week. They included: miscellaneous, up 28.3 percent to 10,916 carloads; grain, up 9.2 percent to 24,038 carloads; and chemicals, up 2.5 percent to 30,432 carloads.

Canadian railroads reported 70,111 carloads for the week, down 10.5 percent, and 61,724 intermodal units, down 1.3 percent compared with the same week in 2015. Mexican railroads reported 15,981 carloads for the week, down 8.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 9,893 intermodal units, down 9.9 percent.

For the first 29 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads logged cumulative volume of 7,046,228 carloads, down 12.1 percent from the same point last year; and 7,452,843 intermodal units, down 2.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the period was 14,499,071 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.6 percent from the same point last year.

Canadian railroads posted cumulative traffic volume of 3,701,502 carloads, containers and trailers, down 7.7 percent compared with the same period a year ago. Mexican railroads logged cumulative volume for the 29-week period of 787,368 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 0.4 percent from the same point last year.