Rail traffic for week ending December 9, 2017
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending December 9, 2017.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 560,756 carloads and intermodal units, up 4 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending December 9 were 267,963 carloads, up 3.4 percent compared with the same week in 2016, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 292,793 containers and trailers, up 4.6 percent compared to 2016.
Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2016. They included nonmetallic minerals, up 3,011 carloads, to 35,630; chemicals, up 2,470 carloads, to 32,372; and metallic ores and metals, up 2,311 carloads, to 22,081. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 were motor vehicles and parts, down 1,492 carloads, to 17,589; grain, down 725 carloads, to 23,735; and miscellaneous carloads, down 400 carloads, to 8,919.
For the first 49 weeks of 2017, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 12,747,921 carloads, up 3 percent from the same point last year; and 13,238,662 intermodal units, up 3.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 49 weeks of 2017 was 25,986,583 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.4 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending December 9, 2017, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 366,629 carloads, up 5.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 374,413 intermodal units, up 6.6 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 741,042 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.9 percent. North American rail volume for the first 49 weeks of 2017 was 34,494,565 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.7 percent compared with 2016.
Canadian railroads reported 81,745 carloads for the week, up 10.3 percent, and 69,967 intermodal units, up 16.7 percent compared with the same week in 2016. For the first 49 weeks of 2017, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 7,157,230 carloads, containers and trailers, up 10.7 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 16,921 carloads for the week, up 9.4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,653 intermodal units, up 3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 49 weeks of 2017 was 1,350,752 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.6 percent from the same point last year.
