BTS: Value of goods shipped by rail between NAFTA nations dipped in February

The value of goods shipped between the United States and Canada and Mexico totaled $89.6 billion in February, a 1.3 percent increase compared with February 2013, according to TransBorder freight data released yesterday by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Trade by truck grew 2.6 percent year over year, while trade by rail declined 2.5 percent, trade by air dropped 3.1 percent, and trade by vessel decreased 0.3 percent. Pipeline trade rose 0.1 percent.

Overall, trucks handled 59.8 percent of the value of goods moving between the North American Free Trade Agreement partners. While the value of freight carried by rail decreased compared with February 2014, railroads still handled the second-highest share of goods at 14.7 percent.

The value of goods shipped by rail between the United States and Canada in February dropped 8.5 percent year over year to $7.6 billion, while the value of U.S.-Mexico trade by rail jumped 7.1 percent to $5.6 billion.