The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Mar. 5, 2016.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 512,202 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.9 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending Mar. 5 were 247,016 carloads, down 8 percent compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 265,186 containers and trailers, up 4.5 percent compared to 2015.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. They included miscellaneous carloads, up 38.8 percent to 9,917 carloads; nonmetallic minerals, up 12.3 percent to 33,197 carloads; and motor vehiclesand parts, up 11.9 percent to 18,892 carloads.Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included coal, down 29.6 percent to 71,669 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 24.1 percent to 10,769 carloads; and farm products excluding grain, and food, down 4 percentto 16,799 carloads.
For the first 9 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,194,100 carloads, down 12.9 percent from the same point last year; and 2,353,933 intermodal units, up 7.6 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 9 weeks of 2016 was 4,548,033 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 3.4 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending Mar. 5, 2016, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 334,415 carloads, down 7.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 334,008 intermodal units, up 3.3 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 668,423 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.3 percent. North American rail volume for the first 9 weeks of 2016 was 5,957,566 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.2 percent compared with 2015.
Canadian railroads reported 71,273 carloads for the week, down 6.6 percent, and 58,074 intermodal units, down 0.7 percent compared with the same week in 2015. For the first 9 weeks of 2016, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,164,674 carloads, containers and trailers, down 3.5percent.
Mexican railroads reported 16,126 carloads for the week, up 1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,748 intermodal units, down 2.6 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 9 weeks of 2016 was 244,859 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.9 percent from the same point last year.
