The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Feb. 20, 2016. 

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 497,210 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.1 percent compared with the same week last year.    Total carloads for the week ending Feb. 20 were 244,747 carloads, down 5.7 percent compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 252,463 containers and trailers, up 18.2 percent compared to 2015.    Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 30.7 percent to 19,620 carloads; miscellaneous carloads, up 22.5 percent to 8,376 carloads; and nonmetallic minerals, up 6.4 percent to 30,349 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 22.1 percent to 10,262 carloads; coal, down 20.2 percent to 76,571 carloads; and farm products excl. grain, and food, down 5.7 percent to 15,622 carloads.   

For the first 7 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,698,803 carloads, down 14.3 percent from the same point last year; and 1,815,728 intermodal units, up 7.3 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 7 weeks of 2016 was 3,514,531 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 4.4 percent compared to last year.   

North American rail volume for the week ending Feb. 20, 2016, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 329,933 carloads, down 4.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 320,471 intermodal units, up 16.3 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 650,404 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.8 percent. North American rail volume for the first 7 weeks of 2016 was 4,607,040 carloads and intermodal units, down 4 percent compared with 2015.   

Canadian railroads reported 68,708 carloads for the week, down 1.2 percent, and 57,221 intermodal units, up 13.3 percent compared with the same week in 2015. For the first 7 weeks of 2016, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 903,225 carloads, containers and trailers, down 3.8 percent.   

Mexican railroads reported 16,478 carloads for the week, up 4.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,787 intermodal units, down 6.3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 7 weeks of 2016 was 189,284 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.0 percent from the same point last year.   

Crude Oil Carload Update
For all of 2015, 410,249 carloads were originated in the U.S., down 82,897 carloads or 16.8 percent from 2014. In 2015, crude oil accounted for 1.4 percent of total U.S. originations compared to 2014, when it was 1.6 percent.  The AAR also reported U.S. Class I railroads originated 84,925 carloads of crude oil in the fourth quarter of 2015, down 16,242 carloads or 16.1 percent from the third quarter of 2015 and down 46,146 carloads or 35.2 percent from the fourth quarter of 2014.