The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 4, 2019.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 535,089 carloads and intermodal units, down 2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending May 4 were 268,559 carloads, up 1 percent compared with the same week in 2018, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 266,530 containers and trailers, down 4.9 percent compared to 2018.
Four of the ten carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2018. They included coal, up 6,712 carloads, to 84,481; petroleum and petroleum products, up 3,367 carloads, to 13,231; and miscellaneous carloads, up 1,295 carloads, to 9,543. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2018 included nonmetallic minerals, down 4,072 carloads, to 37,103; grain, down 2,811 carloads, to 22,287; and motor vehicles and parts, down 2,060 carloads, to 16,491.
For the first 18 weeks of 2019, U.S. railroads reported the cumulative volume of 4,505,712 carloads, down 2.3 percent from the same point last year; and 4,799,133 intermodal units, down 1.6 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 18 weeks of 2019 was 9,304,845 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 1.9 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending May 4, 2019, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 376,890 carloads, up 1.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 357,662 intermodal units, down 2.6 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 734,552 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.6 percent. North American rail volume for the first 18 weeks of 2019 was 12,638,908 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.2 percent compared with 2018.
Canadian railroads reported 88,908 carloads for the week, up 3.3 percent, and 74,194 intermodal units, up 3.7 percent compared with the same week in 2018. For the first 18 weeks of 2019, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,686,804 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 2.5 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 19,423 carloads for the week, down 2.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 16,938 intermodal units, up 11.3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 18 weeks of 2019 was 647,259 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 5.4 percent from the same point last year.
