The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 8, 2017. The July 4th holiday is included both in this year and the comparable week of 2016.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 453,080 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending July 8 were 229,501 carloads, up 1.1 percent compared with the same week in 2016, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 223,579 containers and trailers, up 3.7 percent compared to 2016.
Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2016. They were nonmetallic minerals, up 17.3 percent to 34,115 carloads; coal, up 5.7 percent to 76,931 carloads; and chemicals, up 4.4 percent to 29,246 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 19 percent to 8,449 carloads; miscellaneous carloads, down 15.3 percent to 7,853 carloads; and grain, down 13.3 percent to 18,062 carloads.
For the first 27 weeks of 2017, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 6,928,954 carloads, up 6.2 percent from the same point last year; and 7,116,252 intermodal units, up 2.7 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 27 weeks of 2017 was 14,045,206 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 4.4 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending July 8, 2017, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 315,590 carloads, up 2.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 296,571 intermodal units, up 3.8 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 612,161 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.9 percent. North American rail volume for the first 27 weeks of 2017 was 18,615,460 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.6 percent compared with 2016.
Canadian railroads reported 70,901 carloads for the week, up 6.1 percent, and 62,860 intermodal units, up 7.3 percent compared with the same week in 2016. For the first 27 weeks of 2017, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,843,482 carloads, containers and trailers, up 11.6 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 15,188 carloads for the week, down 0.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,132 intermodal units, down 12.5 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 27 weeks of 2017 was 726,772 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 1.6 percent from the same point last year.
