AAR reports rail traffic for week ending March 24, 2018

(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, March 28, 2018)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 24, 2018.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 526,521 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.4 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending March 24 were 265,756 carloads, up 2.5 percent compared with the same week in 2017, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 260,765 containers and trailers, up 0.3 percent compared to 2017.

Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2017. They included coal, up 7,979 carloads, to 87,348; chemicals, up 1,756 carloads, to 33,788; and nonmetallic minerals, up 667 carloads, to 35,776. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2017 included motor vehicles and parts, down 1,717 carloads, to 16,675; miscellaneous carloads, down 1,504 carloads, to 9,417; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 697 carloads, to 9,889.

For the first 12 weeks of 2018, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,030,729 carloads, down 0.5 percent from the same point last year; and 3,227,100 intermodal units, up 5.7 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 12 weeks of 2018 was 6,257,829 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 2.6 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending March 24, 2018, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 369,719 carloads, up 2.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 347,774 intermodal units, up 2.3 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 717,493 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4 percent. North American rail volume for the first 12 weeks of 2018 was 8,429,626 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4 percent compared with 2017.

Canadian railroads reported 82,618 carloads for the week, up 3 percent, and 70,986 intermodal units, up 13.5 percent compared with the same week in 2017. For the first 12 weeks of 2018, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,712,693 carloads, containers and trailers, up 2.4 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 21,345 carloads for the week, down 0.03 percent compared with the same week last year, and 16,023 intermodal units, down 8.3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 12 weeks of 2018 was 459,104 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 0.8 percent from the same point last year.

Thursday, March 29, 2018