The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending February 17, 2018.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 539,963 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.1 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending February 17 were 260,454 carloads, down 0.6 percent compared with the same week in 2017, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 279,509 containers and trailers, up 6.8 percent compared to 2017.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2017. They included nonmetallic minerals, up 1,689 carloads, to 34,048; chemicals, up 1,102 carloads, to 33,104; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 208 carloads, to 10,097. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2017 included coal, down 2,978 carloads, to 87,962; grain, down 1,316 carloads, to 21,495; and miscellaneous carloads, down 235 carloads, to 9,056.
For the first seven weeks of 2018, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,728,917 carloads, down 2.6 percent from the same point last year; and 1,858,137 intermodal units, up 4 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first seven weeks of 2018 was 3,587,054 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 0.7 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending February 17, 2018, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 353,799 carloads, down 2.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 363,684 intermodal units, up 6 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 717,483 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.6 percent. North American rail volume for the first seven weeks of 2018 was 4,819,038 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.5 percent compared with 2017.
Canadian railroads reported 71,591 carloads for the week, down 9.6 percent, and 66,267 intermodal units, up 6.9 percent compared with the same week in 2017. For the first seven weeks of 2018, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 970,562 carloads, containers and trailers, up 0.1 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 21,754 carloads for the week, up 1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 17,908 intermodal units, down 7 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first seven weeks of 2018 was 261,422 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 1.1 percent from the same point last year.
