Petroleum, coal stay hot
Written by Andrew Corselli
Photo: Peabody Energy Inc.
As has been the case for the past couple of weeks, three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted a year-over-year increase while all other traffic suffered, according to figures released on April 24 by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) for the week ended April 20.
The commodity groups that posted an increase were coal, up 3,738 carloads to 84,216 (up 6,284 carloads last week); petroleum and petroleum products, up 3,536 carloads to 12,889 (up 3,736 carloads last week); and miscellaneous carloads, up 313 carloads to 9,654.
Commodity groups that posted decreases were nonmetallic minerals, down 3,814 carloads to 35,562; metallic ores and metals, down 2,174 carloads to 21,849; and motor vehicles and parts, down 1,707 carloads to 16,403.
Total carloads for the week ended April 20 were 262,011 carloads, down 0.9% compared with the same week in 2018, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 264,130 containers and trailers, down 3.9% compared to 2018.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 526,141 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.4% compared with the same week last year.
For the first 16 weeks of 2019, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,969,837 carloads, down 2.7% from the same point last year; and 4,266,729 intermodal units, down 1% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 16 weeks of 2019 was 8,236,566 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 1.8% compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ended April 20, 2019, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 362,707 carloads, down 0.9% compared with the same week last year, and 349,315 intermodal units, down 1.8% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 712,022 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.4%. North American rail volume for the first 16 weeks of 2019 was 11,172,868 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.2% compared with 2018.
Canadian railroads reported 83,068 carloads for the week, up 3.2%, and 70,789 intermodal units, up 10.7% compared with the same week in 2018. For the first 16 weeks of 2019, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,363,294 carloads, containers and trailers, up 2.3%.
Mexican railroads reported 17,628 carloads for the week, down 16.8% compared with the same week last year, and 14,396 intermodal units, down 14.4%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 16 weeks of 2019 was 573,008 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 6% from the same point last year.
