Weekly carload traffic down nearly 20%

For the week ending Jan. 23, 2016, total U.S. rail traffic was 490,324 carloads and intermodal units, down 10.5% compared with the same week in 2015, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on Jan. 27. U.S. carloads fell nearly 20%, with only one of 10 commodity groups posting an increase.

Total carloads for the week ending Jan. 23 were 237,190 carloads, down 19.5% compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 253,134 containers and trailers, down 0.1% compared to 2015.

One of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. It was miscellaneous carloads, up 15.3% to 9,018 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included coal, down 35.8% to 74,128 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 19% to 12,409 carloads; and metallic ores and metals, down 16.2% to 19,418 carloads.

For the first three weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 719,081 carloads, down 16.6% from the same point last year; and 775,836 intermodal units, up 2.7% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first three weeks of 2016 was 1,494,917 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 7.6% compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending Jan. 23 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 323,156 carloads, down 17.5% compared with the same week last year, and 324,000 intermodal units, down 0.1% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 647,156 carloads and intermodal units, down 9.6%. North American rail volume for the first three weeks of 2016 was 1,958,155 carloads and intermodal units, down 7% compared with 2015.

Canadian railroads reported 68,677 carloads for the week, down 14.1%, and 59,388 intermodal units, down 0.5% compared with the same week in 2015. For the first three weeks of 2016, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 381,833 carloads, containers and trailers, down 6.5%.

Mexican railroads reported 17,289 carloads for the week, up 2.9% compared with the same week last year, and 11,478 intermodal units, up 2.1%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first three weeks of 2016 was 81,405 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.1% from the same point last year.