For the third week in a row, freight traffic shows no signs of growth. For the week ending March 26, 2016, carloads and intermodal units took another big hit, dropping 18.5% and nearly 15%, respectively, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on March 30.
For the week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 470,271 carloads and intermodal units, down 16.5% compared with the same week in 2015.
Total carloads for the week ending March 26 were 232,348 carloads, down 18.5% compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 237,923 containers and trailers, down 14.5% compared to 2015.
Two of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. They were miscellaneous carloads, up 18.5% to 9,629 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, up 0.1% to 18,676 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included coal, down 37.8% to 66,281 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 22.1% to 10,738 carloads; and grain, down 16.1% to 19,144 carloads.
For the first 12 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,905,113 carloads, down 13.7% from the same point last year; and 3,085,831 intermodal units, up 2.2% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 12 weeks of 2016 was 5,990,944 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 6.2% compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending March 26, 2016, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 316,443 carloads, down 17.8% compared with the same week last year, and 296,384 intermodal units, down 15.9% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 612,827 carloads and intermodal units, down 16.9%. North American rail volume for the first 12 weeks of 2016 was 7,848,116 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.8% compared with 2015.
Canadian railroads reported 70,891 carloads for the week, down 13.8%, and 51,488 intermodal units, down 18.7% compared with the same week in 2015. For the first 12 weeks of 2016, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,540,562 carloads, containers and trailers, down 5.3%.
Mexican railroads reported 13,204 carloads for the week, down 25.1% compared with the same week last year, and 6,973 intermodal units, down 34.8%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 12 weeks of 2016 was 316,610 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 1.6% from the same point last year.