Aggregate, minerals lead weekly AAR carloads
Written by Railway Age Staff
The Association of American Railroads said U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Aug. 5, 2017 totaled 554,822 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.3% compared with the same week a year ago.
Total traffic was 273,199 carloads, up 1.9% while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 281,623 containers and trailers, up 6.8%.
Six of 10 carload commodity groups tracked by AAR posted an increase on-year including nonmetallic minerals, 9.7%; coal, 3.4%, and chemicals, 6.5%.
Commodities posting decreases included grain, 13.6%; motor vehicles and parts, 6.9%, and petroleum and petroleum products, 10.6%.
North American rail volume for the week on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 363,386 carloads, up 2.9%, and 362,096 intermodal units, up 8.4%. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 725,482 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.6%.
Canadian railroads reported 76,274 carloads for the week, up 8.3%, and 69,263 intermodal units, up 15.6%.
Mexican railroads reported 13,913 carloads, down 5 %, and 11,210 intermodal units, up 7.9%.
For the first 31 weeks of 2017, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 7,991,891 carloads, up 5.3%, and 8,232,650 intermodal units, up 3.2%. Total combined U.S. traffic was 16,224,541 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 4.2%.
North American rail volume year-to-date was 21,483,408 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.4%. Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 4,422,925 carloads, containers and trailers, up 11.5%. umulative volume on Mexican railroads was 835,942 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 0.3% from the same point a year ago.
