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AAR reports weekly rail traffic for week ending August 13, 2016

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 13, 2016.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 534,533 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.3 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending August 13 were 267,589 carloads, down 7.1 percent compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 266,944 containers and trailers, down 3.4 percent compared to 2015.  

Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. They were grain, up 27.6 percent to 25,232 carloads; chemicals, up 4.3 percent to 30,447 carloads; and miscellaneous carloads, up 0.5 percent to 9,999 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 25.2 percent to 10,484 carloads; coal, down 16.4 percent to 88,905 carloads; and forest products, down 7.5 percent to 10,281 carloads.  

For the first 32 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 7,856,178 carloads, down 11.6 percent from the same point last year; and 8,245,937 intermodal units, down 2.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 32 weeks of 2016 was 16,102,115 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 7.3 percent compared to last year.  

North American rail volume for the week ending August 13, 2016, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 352,145 carloads, down 6.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 339,846 intermodal units, down 3.6 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 691,991 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.3 percent. North American rail volume for the first 32 weeks of 2016 was 21,059,166 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.1 percent compared with 2015.  

Canadian railroads reported 69,369 carloads for the week, down 5.7 percent, and 61,971 intermodal units, down 3.6 percent compared with the same week in 2015. For the first 32 weeks of 2016, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,097,074 carloads, containers and trailers, down 7.3 percent.  

Mexican railroads reported 15,187 carloads for the week, down 10.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,931 intermodal units, down 7.3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 32 weeks of 2016 was 859,977 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 1.8 percent from the same point last year.