U.S. rail freight growth continues: AAR

Grain and coal posted impressive gains as U.S. rail freight traffic continued its upward trend in 2017.

Total traffic was 515,305 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.6%, for the week ending May 6 compared to the same week in 2016, according to the Association of American Railroads.

Carloads totaled 251,182, up 8%, while intermodal volume checked in at 264,123 containers and trailers, a gain of 1.6% on-year.

Six of the AAR’s 10 commodity groups were higher, led by grain, 22.2% to 21,848 carloads; coal, 17.7% to 73,386 carloads, and metallic ores and metals, 15.6% to 23,743 carloads.

Commodity groups that posted weekly declines included petroleum and petroleum products, 18.5% to 9,247 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, 6.4% to 17,160 carloads, and farm products excluding grain and food, 1.3 percent to 15,723 carloads.

Cumulative volume on U.S. railroads through the first 18 weeks of this year climbed 6.4% to 4,598,584 carloads, and 1.6% to 4,703,804 intermodal units. Total combined U.S. traffic of 9,302,388 carloads and intermodal units was 4% higher.

North American volume for the week on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads was 346,563 carloads, ahead 10.1% from the same week in 2016, and 340,821 intermodal units, higher by 3%. Total combined weekly rail traffic was 687,384 carloads and intermodal units, up 6.5%. North American rail volume for the first 18 weeks of this year was 12,325,029 carloads and intermodal units, better by 4.9%.

Canadian railroads reported 81,374 carloads for the week, an increase of 23%, and 67,137 intermodal units, up 12.2%. Through May 6 Canadian railroads reported a 10.2% gain in cumulative volume to 2,552,063 carloads, containers and trailers.

Mexican railroads hauled 14,007 carloads for the week, an 11.8% decline, and 9,561 intermodal units, off by 13.7 percent from the year-ago week. Cumulative volume for the first 18 weeks of 2017 was 470,578 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 2.2%.