Carloads, intermodal up ahead of tariffs

Written by Railway Age Staff
image description

Rail traffic moved smartly ahead the first week of July as shippers secured orders before President Trump’s tariffs take full effect.

Traffic on U.S. carriers for the week ending July 7 totaled 485,193 carloads and intermodal units, up 8.6% from the same week in 2017, according to the Association of American Railroads.

Carloads came to 240,514 units, up 5.4%, while intermodal volume was 244,679 containers and trailers, up 12% from a year ago, the latter amid fears the looming trade war will wreck end-of-year retail holiday sales.

Nine of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase year-on-year, led by petroleum, 21.4%, and grain, 17.7%. Nonmetallic minerals, including frac sand, gained 7.1%

Coal posted the only decline at 0.5%.

For the first 27 weeks of 2018, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 6,987,928 carloads, up 1.4% from 2017, and 7,398,236 intermodal units, up 6.2%. Total combined U.S. traffic was 14,386,164 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.8%.

North American volume for the week on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 338,186 carloads, up 5.9%, and 327,254 intermodal units, up 9.8%. Total combined weekly traffic was 665,440 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.8%. Volume for the first 27 weeks of 2018 was 19,399,124 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.5% from a year ago.

Traffic on Canadian railroads totaled 77,607 carloads for the week, up 9.4%, and 64,497 intermodal units, up 2.7%. For the first 27 weeks of this year, volume was 3,982,386 carloads, containers and trailers, up 3.7%.

Mexican railroads reported 20,065 carloads for the week, down 0.6% from the same week a year ago, and 18,078 intermodal units, up 8.6%. Cumulative volume for the first 27 weeks of 2018 was 1,030,574 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers.

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,