U.S., Canadian freight traffic keeps gaining

U.S. and Canadian freight traffic maintained positive momentum during the week ending June 7, 2014, the Association of American Railroads reported Thursday, June 12. Mexican intermodal volume also logged into the win column.

U.S. freight carload traffic rose 5.3% for the week ending June 7, measured against the comparable week in 2013, AAR said. U.S. intermodal volume advanced 6.8%. Total combined U.S. weekly rail traffic moved up a significant 6% compared with the same week last year.

Nine of the 10 carload commodity groups AAR tracks on a weekly basis posted increases compared with the same week in 2013, including grain , up 15.5%.

Canadian freight carload traffic rose 6% during the week ending June 7, measured against the comparable week in 2013, while Canadian intermodal volume gained 11.4%.

Mexican freight carload volume failed to keep pace, falling 3% during the week ending June 7. But Mexican intermodal volume did better, up 4.3%.

Combined North American freight carload volume for the first 23 weeks of 2014 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads was up 2.1%, measured against the comparable period in 2013. Combined North American intermodal volume was up 5.7%.