Rail freight traffic: Same stuff, different week

North American rail freight traffic remains in the doldrums, the Association of American Railroads reported for the week ending May 21, 2016.

Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 506,983 carloads and intermodal units, down 8.5% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending May 21 were 244,290 carloads, down 10.6% compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 262,693 containers and trailers, down 6.5% compared to 2015.

Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. They included miscellaneous carloads, up 20.7% to 10,071 carloads; nonmetallic minerals, up 4.7% to 37,326 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, up 2.1% to 19,067 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included coal, down 28.8% to 66,709 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 21.5% to 11,593 carloads; and forest products, down 8.3% to 10,341 carloads.

For the first 20 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 4,803,310 carloads, down 14% from the same point last year; and 5,150,727 intermodal units, down 1.7% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 20 weeks of 2016 was 9,954,037 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 8.1% compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending May 21, 2016, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 329,662 carloads, down 10.2% compared with the same week last year, and 335,581 intermodal units, down 5.1% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 665,243 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.7%. North American rail volume for the first 20 weeks of 2016 was 13,055,579 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.6% compared with 2015.

Canadian railroads reported 67,402 carloads for the week, down 12.7%, and 61,756 intermodal units, up 1.2% compared with the same week in 2015. For the first 20 weeks of 2016, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,565,369 carloads, containers and trailers, down 7.3%.

Mexican carload traffic was the only bright spot. Mexican railroads reported 17,970 carloads for the week, up 7.2% compared with the same week last year, but 11,132 intermodal units, down 4.4%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 20 weeks of 2016 was 536,173 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 0.1% from the same point last year.