U.S. carload freight slumped 16.1% from the comparison week in2008, with loadings down 12.2% in the West and 21.6% in the East. But compared with the previous week of this year, carload volume was up 1.4%. U.S. intermodal volume fell 15.0%, but was up 0.9% from the previous week this year.

For the first five weeks of 2009, U.S. railroads cumulative volume was down 16.7% from 2008; cumulative intermodal traffic declined 13.3%.

Canadian carload freight 15.1% during the week compared with the comparable period in 2008, while intermodal fell 7.6%. For the first five weeks of 2009, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume declined 18.1%, while cumulative intermodal fell 11.3%.

Mexico’s two major freight railroads reported weekly carload freight down 5.9% from last year's fifth week, while intermodal retreated by 4.8%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first five weeks of 2009 was down 13.6%; cumulative intermodal fell by 20.4%.

Combined North American rail volume for the first five weeks of 2009 on 14 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads was, down 16.9%; combined intermodal traffic for the period declined 13.1% compared with the comparable five-week period in 2008.