U.S. railroads post carload, intermodal gains in Week 31

U.S. railroads moved 554,822 carloads and intermodal units in the week that ended Aug. 5, a 4.3 percent increase compared with the same period a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

The railroads logged total carloads of 273,199 units, up 1.9 percent compared with the same week in 2016. U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 281,623 containers and trailers, up 6.8 percent compared to 2016.

Six of the 10 carloads that AAR monitors on a weekly basis posted increases compared with the same week last year. They included nonmetallic minerals, up 3,559 to 40,264 carloads; coal, up 3,073 to 92,517 carloads; and chemicals, up 1,993 to 32,621 carloads.

Commodity groups that posted decreases included grain, down 3,279 to 20,846 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, down 1,161 to 15,609 carloads; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 1,112 to 9,386 carloads.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads reported 76,274 carloads for the week, up 8.3 percent, and 69,263 intermodal units, up 15.6 percent compared with the same week in 2016. Mexican railroads reported 13,913 carloads for the week, down 5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,210 intermodal units, up 7.9 percent.

For the first 31 weeks of 2017, U.S. railroads logged a cumulative volume of 16,224,541 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 4.2 percent compared with the same period a year ago.

Also during the 31-week period, Canadian railroads' cumulative volume rose 11.5 percent to 4,422,925 carloads, containers and trailers, while Mexican railroads' volume slipped 0.3 percent to 835,942 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers compared with the same period in 2016.