The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending September 9, 2017.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 486,474 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.8 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending September 9 were 247,930 carloads, down 1.9 percent compared with the same week in 2016, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 238,544 containers and trailers, up 3.6 percent compared to 2016.
Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2016. They were coal, up 5,322 carloads, to 92,488; metallic ores and metals, up 1,944 carloads, to 21,549; and chemicals, up 952 carloads, to 29,024. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 included grain, down 5,146 carloads, to 17,445; petroleum and petroleum products, down 2,518 carloads, to 7,930; and nonmetallic minerals, down 1,894 carloads, to 33,506.
For the first 36 weeks of 2017, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 9,310,027 carloads, up 4.4 percent from the same point last year; and 9,590,652 intermodal units, up 3.4 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 36 weeks of 2017 was 18,900,679 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.9 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending September 9, 2017, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 343,559 carloads, up 1.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 312,397 intermodal units, up 4.7 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 655,956 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.9 percent. North American rail volume for the first 36 weeks of 2017 was 25,045,039 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.2 percent compared with 2016.
Canadian railroads reported 79,197 carloads for the week, up 10.2 percent, and 62,938 intermodal units, up 11.7 percent compared with the same week in 2016. For the first 36 weeks of 2017, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,166,593 carloads, containers and trailers, up 11.5 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 16,432 carloads for the week, up 10.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,915 intermodal units, down 8.4 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 36 weeks of 2017 was 977,767 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 0.5 percent from the same point last year.
