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Make it two good carload-carrying weeks in a row for U.S. railroads. During the week ending Jan. 30, they originated 278,438 carloads, up 7 percent, and 203,952 intermodal loads, up 7.5 percent compared with volumes from the same week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Thirteen of 19 commodity groups registered gains. However, coal traffic continued to lag, falling 0.5 percent. In January, coal carloads tumbled 9.6 percent year over year.

“Looking ahead, coal volumes will remain firmly negative through the first quarter,” said Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. analysts in their weekly “Rail Flash” report. “Importantly, coal fundamentals have reached an inflection point as improved demand (cold weather, industrial production, exports) should draw down elevated coal stockpiles.”

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads posted their first weekly traffic decline in 2010. During the week ending Jan. 30, their carloads fell 8 percent to 69,023 units. However, their weekly intermodal volume rose 1.5 percent to 42,940 units. For the week, Mexican railroads reported 13,503 carloads, up 20.8 percent, and 6,505 containers and trailers, up 54.2 percent.

For more AAR traffic data for the week ending Jan. 30 and through 2010’s first four weeks, follow this link.