AAR: CBR leveling off in 2015

Written by: Carolina Worrell, Managing Editor with William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief In reporting Class I railroad traffic for the week ending Aug. 8, 2015, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) took note of the fact that CBR (crude by rail) shipments in 2015's second quarter dropped 16%, or 21,189 tank car loads, from third-quarter 2014, the peak quarter for rail crude oil originations. Second-quarter 2015's 111,068 CBR carloads represented a 1.8% drop, or 2,021 carloads, from this year's first-quarter.

AAR also reported that total U.S. carloads for the same week were 288,460 carloads, down 4.4% compared with the same week in 2014, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 274,424 containers and trailers, up 3.1% compared to 2014.

Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2014. They included: miscellaneous carloads, up 14.2%to 9,117 carloads; farm products, up 8.4% to 16,854 carloads; and grain, up 1.5% to 21,587 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2014 included: petroleum and petroleum products, down 17.7% to 13,826 carloads; metallic ores and metals, down 10% to 23,387 carloads; and coal, down 7.1% to 105,965 carloads. For the first 31 weeks of 2015, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,595,439 carloads, down 4.2% from the same point last year; and 8,211,341 intermodal units, up 2.5% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 31 weeks of 2015 was 16,806,780 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 1% compared with this point last year. North American rail volume for the week ending Aug. 8, 2015 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 377,908 carloads, down 5.5% compared with the same week last year, and 346,905 intermodal units, up 3.3% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America, was 724,813 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.5%. North American rail volume for the first 31 weeks of 2015 was 21,925,606 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.5% compared with 2014. Canadian railroads reported 72,599 carloads for the week, down 11.7%, and 60,616 intermodal units, up 3.7% compared with the same week in 2014. For the first 31 weeks of 2015, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,281,333 carloads, containers and trailers, up 1.4%. Mexican railroads reported 16,849 carloads for the week, up 5.4% compared with the same week last year, and 11,865 intermodal units, up 4.9%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 31 weeks of 2015 was 837,493 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.3% from the same point last year.