The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 5, 2017.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 554,822 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.3 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending August 5 were 273,199 carloads, up 1.9 percent compared with the same week in 2016, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 281,623 containers and trailers, up 6.8 percent compared to 2016.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2016. They included nonmetallic minerals, up 3,559 to 40,264 carloads; coal, up 3,073 to 92,517 carloads; and chemicals, up 1,993 to 32,621 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 included grain, down 3,279 to 20,846 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, down 1,161 to 15,609 carloads; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 1,112 to 9,386 carloads.
For the first 31 weeks of 2017, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 7,991,891 carloads, up 5.3 percent from the same point last year; and 8,232,650 intermodal units, up 3.2 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 31 weeks of 2017 was 16,224,541 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 4.2 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending August 5, 2017, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 363,386 carloads, up 2.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 362,096 intermodal units, up 8.4 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 725,482 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.6 percent. North American rail volume for the first 31 weeks of 2017 was 21,483,408 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.4 percent compared with 2016.
Canadian railroads reported 76,274 carloads for the week, up 8.3 percent, and 69,263 intermodal units, up 15.6 percent compared with the same week in 2016. For the first 31 weeks of 2017, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,422,925 carloads, containers and trailers, up 11.5 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 13,913 carloads for the week, down 5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,210 intermodal units, up 7.9 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 31 weeks of 2017 was 835,942 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 0.3 percent from the same point last year.
