AAR reports weekly rail traffic for week ending May 7, 2016
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May. 7, 2016.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 492,923 carloads and intermodal units, down 10.6 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending May. 7 were 233,047 carloads, down 14.8 percent compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 259,876 containers and trailers, down 6.4 percent compared to 2015.
Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. They were miscellaneous carloads, up 6.7 percent to 9,839 carloads; chemicals, up 1.6 percent to 31,075 carloads; and grain, up 0.1 percent to 18,004 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included coal, down 33.5 percent to 62,394 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 26.4 percent to 11,394 carloads; and metallic ores and metals, down 12.8 percent to 20,569 carloads.
For the first 18 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 4,320,667 carloads, down 14.3 percent from the same point last year; and 4,628,008 intermodal units, down 1.1 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 18 weeks of 2016 was 8,948,675 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 8 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending May. 7, 2016, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 314,690 carloads, down 14.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 330,817 intermodal units, down 5.8 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 645,507 carloads and intermodal units, down 10.4 percent. North American rail volume for the first 18 weeks of 2016 was 11,740,770 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.5 percent compared with 2015.
Canadian railroads reported 65,949 carloads for the week, down 17 percent, and 59,876 intermodal units, down 4.5 percent compared with the same week in 2015. For the first 18 weeks of 2016, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,313,684 carloads, containers and trailers, down 6.9 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 15,694 carloads for the week, down 3.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,065 intermodal units, up 1.7 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 18 weeks of 2016 was 478,411 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 0.3 percent from the same point last year.
Crude Oil Carload Update The AAR also reported U.S. Class I railroads originated 63,261 carloads of crude oil in the first quarter of 2016, down 21,664 carloads or 25.5 percent from the fourth quarter of 2015 and down 49,828 carloads or 44.1 percent from the first quarter of 2015.
