Intermodal trending higher in latest week

Written by Railway Age Staff
image description

Image: Kahlua10 via YouTube

Intermodal traffic as it has for most of the year outpaced carload volumes that were flat among U.S. railroads for the week ending Feb. 17.

The Association of American Railroads reported 539,963 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.1% compared with the same week in 2017.

Total volume was 260,454 carloads, down 0.6%, while intermodal volume was 279,509 containers and trailers, up 6.8%.

Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase on-year led by nonmetallic minerals, 5.2%; chemicals, 3.4%, and petroleum and petroleum products, 2.1%.

Commodities that were weaker from a year ago included coal, 3.3%; grain, 5.8%, and miscellaneous carloads, 2.5%.

For the first seven weeks of 2018, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,728,917 carloads, down 2.6%, and 1,858,137 intermodal units, up 4%. Total combined U.S. traffic in that time was 3,587,054 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 0.7% on-year.

North American rail volume for the week on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 353,799 carloads, down 2.5%, and 363,684 intermodal units, up 6%. Total combined traffic was 717,483 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.6%. Volume for the first seven weeks of 2018 was 4,819,038 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.5% from 2017.

Canadian railroads reported 71,591 carloads for the week, down 9.6%, and 66,267 intermodal units, up 6.9%. For the first seven weeks, cumulative volume of 970,562 carloads, containers and trailers was up 0.1%.

Mexican railroads reported 21,754 carloads for the week, up 1%, and 17,908 intermodal units, down 7%. Cumulative volume for the first seven weeks of this year was 261,422 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 1.1%.

Tags: ,