The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 25, 2018.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 565,706 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.9 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending August 25 were 275,334 carloads, up 1.8 percent compared with the same week in 2017, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 290,372 containers and trailers, up 6 percent compared to 2017.
Eight of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2017. They included grain, up 2,184 carloads, to 22,064; petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,980 carloads, to 11,332; and metallic ores and metals, up 1,587 carloads, to 25,451. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2017 were coal, down 5,010 carloads, to 91,300; and miscellaneous carloads, down 27 carloads, to 9,881.
For the first 34 weeks of 2018, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,901,367 carloads, up 1.7 percent from the same point last year; and 9,417,104 intermodal units, up 6 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 34 weeks of 2018 was 18,318,471 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.9 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending August 25, 2018, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 381,287 carloads, up 1.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 383,099 intermodal units, up 4.8 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 764,386 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.2 percent. North American rail volume for the first 34 weeks of 2018 was 24,685,171 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.5 percent compared with 2017.
Canadian railroads reported 85,021 carloads for the week, up 3.4 percent, and 72,983 intermodal units, up 2.9 percent compared with the same week in 2017. For the first 34 weeks of 2018, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,055,944 carloads, containers and trailers, up 3.9 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 20,932 carloads for the week, down 6.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 19,744 intermodal units, down 4.3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 34 weeks of 2018 was 1,310,756 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers.
