U.S. and Canadian freight rail traffic saw significant gains for the week ended Feb. 4, 2017 and for 2017’s first five weeks, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported Feb. 8. Mexican traffic, in contrast, did just the opposite, nose-diving as much as 21%.
U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Feb. 4, 2017 increased to 541,474 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.3% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending Feb. 4 were 269,994 carloads, up 11.7% compared with the same week in 2016, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 271,480 containers and trailers, up 3.3% compared to 2016.
Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2016. They included coal, up 25.7% to 92,222 carloads; grain, up 15.7% to 25,741 carloads; and miscellaneous carloads, up 12.7% to 10,032 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 were petroleum and petroleum products, down 15.8% to 10,088 carloads; forest products, down 4.3% to 10,045 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, down 2.8% to 18,681 carloads.
For the first five weeks of 2017, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,266,567 carloads, up 4.7% from the same point last year; and 1,292,548 intermodal units, down 0.8% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first five weeks of 2017 was 2,559,115 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 1.9% compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending February 4, 2017, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 362,517 carloads, up 10.8% compared with the same week last year, and 346,049 intermodal units, up 3.5% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 708,566 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.1%. North American rail volume for the first five weeks of 2017 was 3,371,639 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4% compared with 2016.
Canadian railroads reported healthy gains: 80,535 carloads for the week, up 14.6%, and 65,563 intermodal units, up 6.3% compared with the same week in 2016. For the first five weeks of 2017, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 690,905 carloads, containers and trailers, up 6.9%.
Mexican railroads reported a nosedive: 11,988 carloads for the week, down 21% compared with the same week last year, and 9,006 intermodal units, down 9%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first five weeks of 2017 was 121,619 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 9.7% from the same point last year.