U.S. carload, intermodal traffic gain ground

U.S. freight carload traffic for the week ending February 12 rose 6.2% from the comparable week in 2010, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday. U.S. intermodal volume also gained, rising a substantial 18.5% for the week compared with a year ago.

AAR said 16 of the 20 carload commodity groups it charts posted increases from the comparable week in 2010. Those groups posting significant increases in loadings included: metallic ores, up 105.1%; farm products excluding grain, up 27.4%; motor vehicles and equipment, up 24.6%; and nonmetallic minerals, up 24.%. Decliners, all limited to single-digit drops, included grain mill products, down 7%, food and kindred products, down 2.5%, and grain, down 1.5%.

Canadian freight carload volume for the week fell 1.1%, but intermodal gained 12.0% over the comparable week in 2010. Mexico’s two major railroads reported freight carload volume fell 6.4%, but intermodal rose 6.3%.

Combined North American freight carload volume for the first six weeks of 2011 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads was, up 4.8% compared with the first six weeks of 2010, while intermodal rose 7.2% compared with last year.