Nine of 10 of the carload commodity groups posted increases compared with the same week in 2013, including motor vehicles and parts with 18,371 carloads, up 20.3%; petroleum and petroleum products with 15,593 carloads, up 19.2%; metallic ores and metals with 29,037 carloads, up 17.2%; and grain with 19,978 carloads, up 16.1%. The commodity that posted a decrease was coal with 115,914 carloads, down 5.7%.
For the first 30 weeks of 2014, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,615,876 carloads, up 3.6% compared with the same point last year, and 7,658,277 intermodal units, up 5.9% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 30 weeks of 2014 was 16,274,153 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.7% from last year.
Canadian railroads reported 82,266 carloads for the week, up 6.8%, and 61,032 intermodal units, up 12.6% compared with the same week in 2013. For the first 30 weeks of 2014, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,359,192 carloads, up 1.2% from the same point last year, and 1,684,219 intermodal units, up 6.6% from last year.
Mexican railroads reported 17,141 carloads for the week, up 10.1% compared with the same week last year, and 11,481 intermodal units, up 6.6%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 30 weeks of 2014 was 468,220 carloads, up 2.2% from the same point last year, and 303,006 intermodal units, up 3.5% from last year.
Combined North American rail volume for the first 30 weeks of 2014 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 11,443,288 carloads, up 3% compared with the same point last year, and 9,645,502 intermodal trailers and containers, up 5.9% compared with last year.