The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending April 6, 2019.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 510,192 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.8 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending April 6 were 251,417 carloads, down 3.9 percent compared with the same week in 2018, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 258,775 containers and trailers, down 1.6 percent compared to 2018.
Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2018. They were petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,711 carloads, to 11,610; nonmetallic minerals, up 493 carloads, to 36,059; and motor vehicles and parts, up 434 carloads, to 17,557. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2018 included coal, down 6,417 carloads, to 75,048; grain, down 3,525 carloads, to 21,815; and chemicals, down 1,347 carloads, to 32,358.
For the first 14 weeks of 2019, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,447,026 carloads, down 3.1 percent from the same point last year; and 3,735,232 intermodal units, down 0.6 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 14 weeks of 2019 was 7,182,258 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 1.8 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending April 6, 2019, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 360,674 carloads, down 1.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 349,699 intermodal units, up 0.2 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 710,373 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.6 percent. North American rail volume for the first 14 weeks of 2019 was 9,740,079 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.3 percent compared with 2018.
Canadian railroads reported 88,569 carloads for the week, up 6.4 percent, and 72,970 intermodal units, up 5.5 percent compared with the same week in 2018. For the first 14 weeks of 2019, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,050,613 carloads, containers and trailers, up 1.8 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 20,688 carloads for the week, up 0.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 17,954 intermodal units, up 6.4 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 14 weeks of 2019 was 507,208 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 4.9 percent from the same point last year.
