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In December’s second week, U.S. railroads lost a bit of the traffic momentum they’ve generated since early November. During the week ending Dec. 12, they originated 261,933 carloads, down 10.2 percent compared with volume from the same week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Carloads declined 13.2 percent in the West and 5.4 percent in the East.

Coal volume remained weak against a strong prior-year comparison, according to Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc.’s weekly “Rail Flash” report. But chemical carloads continued to strengthen and agricultural products traffic continued to increase, primarily because the corn and soybean harvests are about 88 percent complete, the report states.

U.S. railroads also reported weekly intermodal volume of 204,950 containers and trailers, down 3 percent year over year.

For the week ending Dec. 12, Canadian railroads reported 66,894 carloads, up 1.9 percent, and 38,441 containers and trailers, down 7.4 percent. Mexican railroads reported 12,583 carloads, up 2 percent, and 6,768 intermodal loads, up 13.6 percent.

For more AAR data on North American railroads' traffic for the week ending Dec. 12 and through 2009’s first 49 weeks, follow this link.