Rail traffic for week ending June 9, 2018

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 9, 2018.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 561,061 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.2 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending June 9 were 271,641 carloads, up 2.8 percent compared with the same week in 2017, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 289,420 containers and trailers, up 5.6 percent compared to 2017 and the second highest intermodal week in history.

Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2017. They included metallic ores and metals, up 2,280 carloads, to 24,350; nonmetallic minerals, up 2,270 carloads, to 40,741; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,407 carloads, to 11,008. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2017 were miscellaneous carloads, down 609 carloads, to 10,089; forest products, down 255 carloads, to 10,328; and coal, down 238 carloads,

to 85,160.For the first 23 weeks of 2018, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 5,938,286 carloads, up 1.3 percent from the same point last year; and 6,283,004 intermodal units, up 5.9 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 23 weeks of 2018 was 12,221,290 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.6 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending June 9, 2018, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 375,770 carloads, up 3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 377,353 intermodal units, up 4.3 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 753,123 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.7 percent. North American rail volume for the first 23 weeks of 2018 was 16,473,646 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.2 percent compared with 2017.

Canadian railroads reported 82,262 carloads for the week, up 6.2 percent, and 69,351 intermodal units, up 0.8 percent compared with the same week in 2017. For the first 23 weeks of 2018, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,379,007 carloads, containers and trailers, up 3.4 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 21,867 carloads for the week and 18,582 intermodal units. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 23 weeks of 2018 was 873,349 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers.