North American freight rail traffic for the week ending Jan. 10, 2015 – the first full week of 2015 – started off strongly, the Association of American Railroads reported Thursday, Jan. 15.
U.S. freight carload traffic for the week rose a robust 7.5% measured against the comparable week in 2014, while U.S. intermodal volume pushed up 2.1%. Total U.S. weekly rail traffic rose 4.9% measured against the same week in 2014.
Eight of the 10 carload commodity groups AAR measures on a weekly basis posted increases compared with the same week in 2014, led by an old reliable, coal, up 4.2%. Also among the gainers: nonmetallic minerals, up 22%, chemicals, up 7%, and metallic ores and metals, up 17.6%. 30,742 or 22 percent; Chemicals, up 30,425 carloads or 7 per cent; and metallic ores and metals, up 17.6%. By contrast, farm products (excluding grain and food) slipped 1.7%.
Canadian freight carload traffic for the week ending Jan. 10 rose 11.5%, while Canadian intermodal volume did even better by percentage, up 16.1%, measured against the comparable week in 2014. Mexican freight carload traffic advanced 4%, while Mexican intermodal volume completed the North American category sweep, if barely, up 0.5%.
Combained North American freight carload traffic for the week ending Jan. 10, 2015 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads was up 8.1% compared with the same week in 2014. Combined North American intermodal volume rose 4.3%.