U.S. intermodal leads North American freight traffic gains

All three major North American nations saw freight traffic gains during the week ending June 14, 2014, measured against the comparable week in 2013, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday, June 19. But U.S. intermodal volume, maintaining its longstanding momentum, was a star performer.

Up 6.3% from the same week a year ago, U.S. intermodal volume recorded its “highest week in history,” AAR said. U.S. freight carload traffic also did well, up 2.2%.

Mimicking the previous week, nine of the 10 carload commodity groups AAR tracks on a weekly basis posted increases during the most recent week compared with the same week in 2013, including grain, up 22.3%, petroleum and petroleum products, up 13.2%, and metallic ores and metals, up 8.4%.

Canadian freight carload traffic for the week ending June 14 rose 12.3%, while Canadian intermodal volume advanced 8.3% compared with a year ago. Mexican freight carload traffic for the week gained 4.9%, while Mexican intermodal completed the full North American win column, up 5.7%.

Combined North American freight carload traffic for the first 24 weeks of 2014 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled was up 2.2% when measured against the comparable 2013 period. Combined North American intermodal volume was up 5.8%.