North American rail volume for the week on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 378,342 carloads, down 1.7% compared with the same week last year, and 344,995 intermodal units, up 6.4% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 723,337 carloads and intermodal units, up 2%. North American rail volume for the first 11 weeks of 2015 was 7,596,303 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.9% compared with 2014.
U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Mar. 21, 2015 was 562,472 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.9% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week were 284,618, down 2.4% compared with the same week in 2014, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 277,854 containers and trailers, up 6.7% compared to 2014. Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted increases compared with the same week in 2014. They were: grain, up 21.9% to 24,087 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, up 3.1% to 18,765 carloads; and nonmetallic minerals, up 1.4% to 34,230 carloads. Commodity groups that saw decreases during this one week included: metallic ores and metals, down 11% to 21,049 carloads; coal, down 6.7% to 105,987 carloads; and forest products, down 5.7% to 10,628 carloads.
For the first 11 weeks of 2015, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,082,147 carloads, up 0.9% from the same point last year; and 2,740,253 intermodal units, down 0.4% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 11 weeks of 2015 was 5,822,400 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.3% compared to last year.
Canadian railroads reported 78,145 carloads for the week, up 0.9%, and 58,405 intermodal units, up 7.2% compared with the same week in 2014. For the first 11 weeks of 2015, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,481,718 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 8.6%.
Mexican railroads reported 15,579 carloads for the week, down 0.6% compared with the same week last year, and 8,736 intermodal units, down 6%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 11 weeks of 2015 was 292,185 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 3.2% from the same point last year.