Rail traffic results were mixed in week 43

Total U.S. weekly rail carload and intermodal traffic slipped 0.8 percent for the week ending Oct. 29 compared with a year ago, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported this week.

Total carloads for the week declined 2.8 percent to 271,576 units compared with the same week in 2015, while total intermodal volume rose 1.3 percent to 273,421 containers and trailers, according to an AAR press release.

Canadian railroads posted 82,037 carloads, up 4.9 percent; and 60,892 intermodal units, down 3.8 percent compared with the same week last year.

Mexican railroads logged 16,216 carloads for the week, up 6.8 percent; and 11,955 intermodal units, up 7.2 percent for the week compared with the same week in 2015.

North American rail volume for the week on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 369,829 carloads, down 0.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 346,268 intermodal units, up 0.5 percent compared with last year.

For the first 43 weeks of the year, North American rail volume tumbled 6.1 percent to 28,752,216 carloads and intermodal units compared with North American volume during the same period in 2015.