The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending January 5, 2019.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 436,103 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.8 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending January 5 were 221,759 carloads, up 6.2 percent compared with the same week in 2018, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 214,344 containers and trailers, up 3.4 percent compared to 2018.
Eight of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2018. They included nonmetallic minerals, up 3,791 carloads, to 25,665; metallic ores and metals, up 2,619 carloads, to 21,738; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 2,413 carloads, to 12,057. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2018 were motor vehicles and parts, down 1,261 carloads, to 9,213; and miscellaneous carloads, down 294 carloads, to 7,251.
North American rail volume for the week ending January 5, 2019, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 313,358 carloads, up 7.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 282,090 intermodal units, up 3.2 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 595,448 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.4 percent.
Canadian railroads reported 76,698 carloads for the week, up 14.5 percent, and 54,166 intermodal units, up 3.3 percent compared with the same week in 2018. For the first week of 2019, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 130,864 carloads, containers and trailers, up 9.6 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 14,901 carloads for the week, down 5.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 13,580 intermodal units, down 1.4 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first week of 2019 was 28,481 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 3.8 percent from the same point last year.
