The Association of American Railroads (AAR) just reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 18, 2018.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 567,477 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.7 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending August 18 were 278,701 carloads, up 2.9 percent compared with the same week in 2017, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 288,776 containers and trailers, up 4.4 percent compared to 2017.
Nine of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2017. They included grain, up 5,491 carloads, to 23,404; petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,544 carloads, to 10,898; and miscellaneous carloads, up 1,523 carloads, to 10,629. One commodity group posted a decrease compared with the same week in 2017: coal, down 4,534 carloads, to 93,248.
For the first 33 weeks of 2018, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,626,033 carloads, up 1.7 percent from the same point last year; and 9,126,732 intermodal units, up 6 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 33 weeks of 2018 was 17,752,765 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.9 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending August 18, 2018, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 382,026 carloads, up 3.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 381,519 intermodal units, up 3.6 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 763,545 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.4 percent. North American rail volume for the first 33 weeks of 2018 was 23,920,785 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.5 percent compared with 2017.
Canadian railroads reported 82,159 carloads for the week, up 5.3 percent, and 73,556 intermodal units, up 2.7 percent compared with the same week in 2017. For the first 33 weeks of 2018, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,897,940 carloads, containers and trailers, up 3.9 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 21,166 carloads for the week, down 0.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 19,187 intermodal units, down 3.9 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 33 weeks of 2018 was 1,270,080 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers.
