Intermodal traffic takes up slack carload volume

For the week of December 8, U.S. weekly rail traffic was 570,225 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.1% from the same week in 2017.

The Association of American Railroads said U.S. carloads totaled 267,000, up 0.3%, while intermodal volume was 303,225 containers and trailers, up 5.7% from a year ago.

Crude oil continued to outrun carloads as five of the 10 commodity groups finished ahead of 2017, ahead by 22.8% to 13,286. Miscellaneous carloads increased by 19.3% to 10,824, and motor vehicles were better by 1.5% to 17,851.

Commodities that posted carload decreases from a year ago included nonmetallic minerals, by 6.7% to 31,809; coal, 1.2% to 88,543, and grain, 2.7% to 23,082.

For the first 49 weeks of this year, cumulative volume on U.S. railroads was 12,885,663 carloads, up 1.7%, and 13,679,958 intermodal units, up 5.5% from the same period in 2017. Total combined U.S. traffic was 26,565,621 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.6%.

North American rail volume for the week ending December 8 on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 370,277 carloads, up 0.04%, and 395,454 intermodal units, up 5.4% on-year. Total combined weekly traffic was 765,731 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.8%. North American volume for the first 49 weeks was 35,888,446 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.3%.

Canadian railroads reported 82,129 carloads for the week, up 0.1%, and 73,115 intermodal units, up 4.7%. Year-to-date volume was 7,421,846 carloads, containers and trailers, up 3.8%.

Mexican railroads reported 21,148 carloads for the week, down 3%, and 19,114 intermodal units, up 5%. Cumulative volume year-to-date was 1,900,979 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers.