AAR: U.S. rail traffic maintained up-and-down pattern in 50th week

U.S. railroads' mixed traffic-result pattern carried over into mid-December. For the week ending Dec. 14, they originated 278,664 carloads, down 4.9 percent, and 268,161 intermodal loads, up 6.4 percent compared with volumes from the same week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads.

Total U.S. traffic ratcheted up 0.3 percent to 546,825 units. Only four of 10 carload commodity groups posted gains, including petroleum and petroleum products at 10.4 percent, and motor vehicles and parts at 5.5 percent. Metallic ores/metals volume fell 14 percent and coal traffic declined 8.4 percent.

Canadian railroads reported weekly carloads totaling 73,230, down 8.2 percent, and intermodal volume totaling 54,008 units, up 2.2 percent year over year. Mexican railroads' weekly carloads increased 3.2 percent to 15,562 units and their intermodal volume climbed 12.5 percent to 10,002 units.

Through 50 weeks in 2013, 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads handled 18,799,793 carloads, up 0.2 percent, and 15,609,400 containers and trailers, up 4.3 percent compared with the same 2012 period.