U.S., Canadian railroads post traffic gains in Week 22

U.S. rail traffic rose 9.8 percent to 500,192 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending June 3 compared with traffic during the same week a year ago, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Railroads moved 252,853 carloads, up 12.7 percent compared with the same week in 2016, and 247,339 intermodal containers and trailers, up 7 percent compared to 2016.

Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks on a weekly basis posted increases compared with the same week in 2016. They included grain, up 22.5 percent to 22,838 carloads; coal, up 21.5 percent to 82,523 carloads; and nonmetallic minerals, up 19.2 percent to 35,850 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 were petroleum and petroleum products, down 5.5 percent to 9,183 carloads; miscellaneous carloads, down 4.6 percent to 8,615 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, down 1.4 percent to 15,195 carloads.

For the first 22 weeks of this year, U.S. railroads posted combined traffic of 11,412,575 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 4.5 percent compared to cumulative traffic during the same period last year.

Canadian railroads reported 75,459 carloads for the week, up 13.4 percent, and 67,319 intermodal units, up 17.6 percent compared with the same week in 2016. For the first 22 weeks of 2017, Canadian railroads logged cumulative traffic of 3,125,812 carloads, containers and trailers, an increase of 11.1 percent.

Also during the week, Mexican railroads logged 16,645 carloads, up 1.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,817 intermodal units, up 1.4 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 22 weeks of 2017 was 584,501 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 2 percent from the same point last year.