The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 23, 2016.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 528,070 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.3 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending July 23 were 261,748 carloads, down 8.7 percent compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 266,322 containers and trailers, down 1.7 percent compared to 2015.
Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. They included miscellaneous carloads, up 28.3 percent to 10,916 carloads; grain, up 9.2 percent to 24,038 carloads; and chemicals, up 2.5 percent to 30,432 carloads.Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 27.5 percent to 10,260 carloads; coal, down 19.4 percent to 83,677 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, down 13.8 percent to 14,615 carloads.
For the first 29 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 7,046,228 carloads, down 12.1 percent from the same point last year; and 7,452,843 intermodal units, down 2.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 29 weeks of 2016 was 14,499,071 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 7.6 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending July 23, 2016, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 347,840 carloads, down 9.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 337,939 intermodal units, down 1.9 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 685,779 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.7 percent. North American rail volume for the first 29 weeks of 2016 was 18,987,941 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.3 percent compared with 2015.
Canadian railroads reported 70,111 carloads for the week, down 10.5 percent, and 61,724 intermodal units, down 1.3 percent compared with the same week in 2015. For the first 29 weeks of 2016, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,701,502 carloads, containers and trailers, down 7.7 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 15,981 carloads for the week, down 8.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 9,893 intermodal units, down 9.9 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 29 weeks of 2016 was 787,368 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 0.4 percent from the same point last year.
