AAR: U.S. railroads registered more traffic declines in Week 11

(Source: Progressive Railroading 03/21/2019)

For the week ending March 16, U.S. railroads logged 501,001 carloads and intermodal units, down 6.8 percent compared with total volume from the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Carloads dropped 8.8 percent to 240,317 units while intermodal volume declined 4.8 percent to 260,684 containers and trailers. Only two of the 10 carload commodity groups tracked by the AAR posted gains: petroleum and petroleum products, up 2,122 carloads to 12,124, and motor vehicles and parts, up 806 carloads to 17,926.

Commodity groups that registered significant decreases last week included coal, down 13,701 carloads to 72,190, and grain, down 5,148 carloads to 18,619.

Through 2019’s first 11 weeks, U.S. railroads reported 2,716,886 carloads, down 1.7 percent, and 2,942,205 intermodal units, down 0.8 percent compared with figures from the same 2018 period.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads reported a flat 79,303 carloads for the week ending March 16. Their intermodal volume increased 1.9 percent year over year to 69,935 units. Through 11 weeks, Canadian railroads reported 1,578,002 carloads, containers and trailers, up 1.3 percent.

For the week ending March 16, Mexican railroads reported 22,259 carloads, up 2.4 percent, and 16,510 intermodal units, down 10 percent. Their cumulative volume through 11 weeks decreased 7.2 percent year over year to 393,157 carloads and intermodal units.

Volume from 12 reporting North American railroads through 11 weeks totaled 7,630,250 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.1 percent compared with the same 2018 period.