AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic Sees Modest Gains

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reports that weekly rail traffic continues to see modest year-over-year gains with U.S. railroads originating 288,056 carloads for the week ending Nov. 6, 2010, up 4.9 percent compared with the same week last year.

Intermodal traffic for the week totaled 231,078 trailers and containers, up 11.7 percent compared with the same week a year ago, with container volume up 12.4 percent and trailer volume up 7.7 percent.

Thirteen of the 19 carload commodity groups increased from the comparable week in 2009, with significant gains in metallic ores, up 45.8 percent; metals and products, up 31.1 percent; crushed stone, sand and gravel, up 26 percent; and farm products excluding grain, up 25.9 percent. Commodity groups posting declines included nonmetallic minerals, down 17.8 percent; primary forest products, down 13.2 percent; grain, down 9.1 percent; motor vehicles and equipment, down 5.9 percent; and grain mill products, down .2 percent.

Carload volume on Eastern railroads was down .1 percent compared with last year. In the West, carload volume was up 8.4 percent from the same week in 2009.
For the first 44 weeks of 2010, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 12,612,717 carloads, up 7.3 percent from last year, and 9,595,559 trailers or containers, up 14.6 percent from the comparison week in 2009.

Canadian railroads reported volume of 78,493 cars for the week, up 9.3 percent from last year, and 48,242 trailers or containers, up 12.4 percent from 2009. For the first 44 weeks of 2010, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,219,870 carloads, up 18 percent from last year, and 2,087,480 trailers or containers, up 15.7 percent from last year.

Mexican railroads reported originated volume of 12,809 cars, up 9.6 percent from the same week last year, and 6,673 trailers or containers, up.8 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 44 weeks of 2010 was reported as 605,038 carloads, up 19.6 percent from last year; and 298,900 trailers or containers, up 25.2 percent.

Combined North American rail volume for the first 44 weeks of 2010 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 16,437,625 carloads, up 9.6 percent from last year, and 11,981,939 trailers and containers, up 15 percent from last year.

For more information, visit www.aar.org.