The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Mar. 12, 2016.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 489,177 carloads and intermodal units, down 11.6 percent compared with the same week last year.   Total carloads for the week ending Mar. 12 were 243,275 carloads, down 12.8 percent compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 245,902 containers and trailers, down 10.3 percent compared to 2015. Please note, intermodal volumes last year at this time were higher than usual, reflecting the resolution of a labor dispute at West Coast ports.   Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. They included miscellaneous carloads, up 19.7 percent to 9,448 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, up 15.7 percent to 20,104 carloads; and chemicals, up 4.7 percent to 31,529 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included coal, down 34.1 percent to 71,221 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 13.1 percent to 11,067 carloads; and metallic ores and metals, down 7.1 percent to 19,285 carloads.   For the first 10 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,437,375 carloads, down 12.9 percent from the same point last year; and 2,599,835 intermodal units, up 5.6 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 10 weeks of 2016 was 5,037,210 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 4.2 percent compared to last year.   North American rail volume for the week ending Mar. 12, 2016, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 328,864 carloads, down 12.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 312,304 intermodal units, down 9.3 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 641,168 carloads and intermodal units, down 10.8 percent. North American rail volume for the first 10 weeks of 2016 was 6,598,734 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.0 percent compared with 2015.   Canadian railroads reported 70,526 carloads for the week, down 11.3 percent, and 56,346 intermodal units, down 3.9 percent compared with the same week in 2015. For the first 10 weeks of 2016, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,291,546 carloads, containers and trailers, down 4.0 percent.   Mexican railroads reported 15,063 carloads for the week, down 6.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,056 intermodal units, down 13.2 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 10 weeks of 2016 was 269,978 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 0.8 percent from the same point last year.