The Association of American Railroads (AAR) just reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending October 13, 2018.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 549,757 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.7 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending October 13 were 263,787 carloads, up 0.4 percent compared with the same week in 2017, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 285,970 containers and trailers, up 3 percent compared to 2017.
Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2017. They included petroleum and petroleum products, up 2,824 carloads, to 11,783; metallic ores and metals, up 815 carloads, to 23,128; and miscellaneous carloads, up 387 carloads, to 10,332. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2017 were nonmetallic minerals, down 2,849 carloads, to 35,721; chemicals, down 514 carloads, to 30,416; and forest products, down 34 carloads, to 9,927.
For the first 41 weeks of 2018, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 10,781,980 carloads, up 1.9 percent from the same point last year; and 11,402,578 intermodal units, up 5.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 41 weeks of 2018 was 22,184,558 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.9 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending October 13, 2018, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 369,268 carloads, up 1.4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 375,315 intermodal units, up 1.5 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 744,583 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.5 percent. North American rail volume for the first 41 weeks of 2018 was 29,926,588 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.5 percent compared with 2017.
Canadian railroads reported 85,249 carloads for the week, up 6.3 percent, and 69,835 intermodal units, down 2.3 percent compared with the same week in 2017. For the first 41 weeks of 2018, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,155,522 carloads, containers and trailers, up 3.6 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 20,232 carloads for the week, down 4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 19,510 intermodal units, down 5.9 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 41 weeks of 2018 was 1,586,508 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers.
