The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Sep. 12, 2015.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 510,797 carloads and intermodal units, down 11.9 percent compared with the same week last year.    Total carloads for the week ending Sep. 12 were 268,960 carloads, down 10.5 percent compared with the same week in 2014, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 241,837 containers and trailers, down 13.3 percent compared to 2014. The week ending Sep. 12, 2015 contained the Labor Day holiday. The week it is being compared to in 2014 did not.   One of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2014. It was grain, up 3.6 percent to 17,897 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2014 included: metallic ores and metals, down 27.5 percent to 20,583 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 15.8 percent to 14,231 carloads; and nonmetallic minerals, down 15.1 percent to 34,734 carloads.   For the first 36 weeks of 2015, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 10,019,235 carloads, down 4.3 percent from the same point last year; and 9,572,991 intermodal units, up 2.5 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 36 weeks of 2015 was 19,592,226 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 1.1 percent compared to last year.   North American rail volume for the week ending Sep. 12, 2015 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 357,653 carloads, down 10 percent compared with the same week last year, and 310,915 intermodal units, down 12 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 668,568 carloads and intermodal units, down 10.9 percent. North American rail volume for the first 36 weeks of 2015 was 25,536,759 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.6 percent compared with 2014.    Canadian railroads reported 72,320 carloads for the week, down 11.9 percent, and 55,896 intermodal units, down 10.2 percent compared with the same week in 2014. For the first 36 weeks of 2015, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,964,680 carloads, containers and trailers, up 0.6 percent.   Mexican railroads reported 16,373 carloads for the week, up 10.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 13,182 intermodal units, up 8.9 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 36 weeks of 2015 was 979,853 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.4 percent from the same point last year.