The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on November 9 that U.S. rail traffic for the week ending November 5, 2016 was 543,377 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.7% compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending November 5 were 271,262 carloads, down 0.4% compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 272,115 containers and trailers, up 1.7% compared to 2015.
Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. They included grain, up 22 percent to 28,655 carloads; nonmetallic minerals, up 3.8% to 36,572 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, up 2.9% to 18,403 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 16.3 percent to 10,877 carloads; miscellaneous carloads, down 10.8 percent to 8,812 carloads; and metallic ores and metals, down 9.7% to 18,575 carloads.
For the first 44 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 11,075,472 carloads, down 9.8 percent from the same point last year; and 11,431,547 intermodal units, down 2.9 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 44 weeks of 2016 was 22,507,019 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 6.4 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending November 5, 2016, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 367,974 carloads, up 1.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 340,974 intermodal units, up 0.9 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 708,948 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.1 percent. North American rail volume for the first 44 weeks of 2016 was 29,461,164 carloads and intermodal units, down 6 percent compared with 2015.
Canadian railroads reported 81,260 carloads for the week, up 5.7 percent, and 57,839 intermodal units, down 3.3 percent compared with the same week in 2015. For the first 44 weeks of 2016, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,767,277 carloads, containers and trailers, down 4.9 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 15,452 carloads for the week, up 8.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,020 intermodal units, up 4.8 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 44 weeks of 2016 was 1,186,868 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 2.1 percent from the same point last year.