The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Nov. 21, 2015. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 532,532 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.7 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending Nov. 21 were 267,830 carloads, down 9.4 percent compared with the same week in 2014, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 264,702 containers and trailers, down 1.7 percent compared to 2014. Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2014. They included miscellaneous carloads, up 12.3 percent to 9,597 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, up 5.9 percent to 19,105 carloads; and nonmetallic minerals, up 2.1 percent to 35,420 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2014 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 25.8 percent to 11,894 carloads; metallic ores and metals, down 22.7 percent to 19,782 carloads; and coal, down 16.8 percent to 92,998 carloads. For the first 46 weeks of 2015, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 12,815,842 carloads, down 4.9 percent from the same point last year; and 12,311,269 intermodal units, up 1.9 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 46 weeks of 2015 was 25,127,111 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 1.7 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending Nov. 21, 2015, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 357,318 carloads, down 9.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 334,360 intermodal units, down 0.7 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 691,678 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.6 percent. North American rail volume for the first 46 weeks of 2015 was 32,708,896 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.4 percent compared with 2014.
Canadian railroads reported 73,774 carloads for the week, down 12.8 percent, and 58,280 intermodal units, up 2.3 percent compared with the same week in 2014. For the first 46 weeks of 2015, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,328,374 carloads, containers and trailers down 0.9 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 15,714 carloads for the week, up 1.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,378 intermodal units, up 8.6 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 46 weeks of 2015 was 1,253,411 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.5 percent from the same point last year.
