The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has announced the U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 14, 2018.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 559,064 carloads and intermodal units, up 5 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending July 14 were 271,207 carloads, up 3.8 percent compared with the same week in 2017, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 287,857 containers and trailers, up 6.1 percent compared to 2017.
Eight of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2017. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 2,772 carloads, to 15,076; petroleum and petroleum products, up 2,609 carloads, to 11,950; and grain, up 1,976 carloads, to 24,779. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2017 were coal, down 1,909 carloads, to 84,511; and farm products excl. grain, and food, down 165 carloads, to 16,353.
For the first 28 weeks of 2018, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 7,259,135 carloads, up 1.5 percent from the same point last year; and 7,686,093 intermodal units, up 6.2 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 28 weeks of 2018 was 14,945,228 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.9 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending July 14, 2018, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 374,909 carloads, up 4.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 374,090 intermodal units, up 4.7 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 748,999 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.7 percent. North American rail volume for the first 28 weeks of 2018 was 20,148,123 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.5 percent compared with 2017.
Canadian railroads reported 82,620 carloads for the week, up 9.3 percent, and 68,170 intermodal units, up 1.8 percent compared with the same week in 2017. For the first 28 weeks of 2018, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,133,176 carloads, containers and trailers, up 3.8 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 21,082 carloads for the week, down 1.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 18,063 intermodal units, down 4.6 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 28 weeks of 2018 was 1,069,719 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers.
