AAR logo

AAR reports weekly rail traffic for week ending October 24, 2015

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Oct. 24, 2015. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 553,144 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.6 percent compared with the same week last year. 

Total carloads for the week ending Oct. 24 were 284,523 carloads, down 7.4 percent compared with the same week in 2014, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 268,621 containers and trailers, down 3.7 percent compared to 2014.  

Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2014. They are: grain, up 13 percent to 25,301 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, up 9.9 percent to 18,984; and miscellaneous carloads, up 2.6 percent to 8,972. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2014 included: petroleum and petroleum products, down 21.7 percent to 13,273 carloads; metallic ores and metals, down 18.5 percent to 21,759 carloads; and coal, down 12.7 percent to 100,829 carloads.  

For the first 42 weeks of 2015, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 11,725,829 carloads, down 4.5 percent from the same point last year; and 11,236,197 intermodal units, up 2.2 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 42 weeks of 2015 was 22,962,026 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 1.3 percent compared to last year.  

North American rail volume for the week ending Oct. 24, 2015 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 374,774carloads, down 9.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 340,848 intermodal units, down 2.7 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 715,622 carloads and intermodal units, down 6.4 percent. North American rail volume for the first 42 weeks of 2015 was 29,895,549 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.1 percent compared with 2014.   

Canadian railroads reported 74,282 carloads for the week, down 18.1 percent, and 61,388 intermodal units, up 3.6 percent compared with the same week in 2014. For the first 42 weeks of 2015, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,784,017 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.6 percent.   Mexican railroads reported 15,969 carloads for the week, down 3.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,839 intermodal units, down 10.2 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 42 weeks of 2015 was 1,149,506 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.7 percent from the same point last year.