U.S., Canada, Mexico post rail traffic growth in Week 34

U.S. railroads moved 551,776 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending Aug. 26, a 2.3 percent increase compared with the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported yesterday.

U.S. roads posted 272,153 carloads, up 1 percent compared with the same week in 2016, and 279,623 containers and trailers, up 3.6 percent versus a year ago, according to an AAR press release.

Four of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR follows on a weekly basis logged increases during the week compared with a year ago. They included coal, up 4,756 carloads to 96,317; metallic ores and metals, up 2,467 carloads to 23,941; and nonmetallic minerals, up 2,444 carloads to 39,999.

Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 included motor vehicles and parts, down 3,237 carloads to 16,156; grain, down 1,845 carloads to 19,881; and farm products excluding grain, and food, down 1,532 carloads to 14,926.

Canadian railroads moved 82,484 carloads for the week, up 15.2 percent, and 71,079 intermodal units, up 10.6 percent compared with the same week in 2016.

Mexican railroads also posted traffic increases during the week: Carloads rose 7.2 percent to 17,258 units, while the number of intermodal containers and trailers climbed 10.6 percent to 12,555 units.

For the first 34 weeks of the year, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 17,880,065 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 4.1 percent versus a year ago.

Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 4,872,097 carloads, containers and trailers, up 11.6 percent during the 34-week period compared with last year. Mexican railroads' total cumulative volume during the 34-week period rose 0.3 percent to 922,439 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers compared with the year-ago period.