Compared to the prior-year week, carloads for the week ending April 25, 2015 on U.S. Class I railroads dropped 7.9%, but intermodal saw yet another gain, rising 5.6%, netting a slight dip of 1.6% in overall rail traffic, the Association of American Railroads reported.
For the week, total U.S. rail traffic was 557,306 carloads and intermodal units—278,294 carloads, and 279,012 containers and trailers. One of the 10 carload commodity groups posted increases compared with the same week in 2014: motor vehicles and parts, up 1% to 18,894 carloads. Commodity groups that saw decreases during this one week included coal, down 13.3% to 98,405 carloads; grain, down 8.6% to 19,909 carloads; and metallic ores and metals, down 7.7% to 23,473 carloads.
For the first 16 weeks of 2015, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 4,487,035 carloads, down 1.2% from the same point last year; and 4,119,216 intermodal units, up 1.3% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 16 weeks of 2015 was 8,606,251 carloads and intermodal units, which remains flat compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending April 25, 2015 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 376,406 carloads, down 6.7% compared with the same week last year, and 351,858 intermodal units, up 5.2% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 728,264 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.3%. North American rail volume for the first 16 weeks of 2015 was 11,227,407 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.3% compared with 2014.
Canadian railroads reported 81,611 carloads for the week, down 6.3%, and 62,456 intermodal units, up 3.9% compared with the same week in 2014. For the first 16 weeks of 2015, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,197,775 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 6.5%.
Mexican railroads reported 16,501 carloads for the week, up 15.5% compared with the same week last year, and 10,390 intermodal units, up 2.8%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 16 weeks of 2015 was 423,381 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 3.5% from the same point last year.