AAR reports weekly rail traffic for week ending July 16, 2016
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Jul. 16, 2016. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 520,222 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.6 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending Jul. 16 were 262,202 carloads, down 5.4 percent compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 258,020 containers and trailers, down 5.8 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 25.3 percent to 25,681 carloads; miscellaneous carloads, up 14 percent to 10,647 carloads; and chemicals, up 2.9 percent to 30,917 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 15.8 percent to 11,221 carloads; coal, down 15.5 percent to 84,272 carloads; and forest products, down 10.3 percent to 9,894 carloads.
For the first 28 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 6,784,480 carloads, down 12.2 percent from the same point last year; and 7,186,521 intermodal units, down 2.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 28 weeks of 2016 was 13,971,001 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 7.6 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending Jul. 16, 2016, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 346,234 carloads, down 6.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 328,048 intermodal units, down 5.6 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 674,282 carloads and intermodal units, down 6.1 percent. North American rail volume for the first 28 weeks of 2016 was 18,302,162 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.4 percent compared with 2015.
Canadian railroads reported 67,832 carloads for the week, down 11.1 percent, and 59,043 intermodal units, down 5.6 percent compared with the same week in 2015. For the first 28 weeks of 2016, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,569,667 carloads, containers and trailers, down 7.8 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 16,200 carloads for the week, down 5.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,985 intermodal units, down 0.6 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 28 weeks of 2016 was 761,494 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 0.1 percent from the same point last year.
