The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending November 18, 2017.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 554,066 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending November 18 were 266,927 carloads, down 1.6 percent compared with the same week in 2016, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 287,139 containers and trailers, up 3.9 percent compared to 2016.
Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2016. They included metallic ores and metals, up 4,537 carloads, to 23,696; nonmetallic minerals, up 3,675 carloads, to 38,355; and chemicals, up 1,334 carloads, to 31,939. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 included coal, down 8,528 carloads, to 86,185; grain, down 3,841 carloads, to 21,926; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 887 carloads, to 10,184.
For the first 46 weeks of 2017, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 11,969,281 carloads, up 3 percent from the same point last year; and 12,420,150 intermodal units, up 3.7 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 46 weeks of 2017 was 24,389,431 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.4 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending November 18, 2017, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 363,131 carloads, down 1.4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 367,840 intermodal units, up 4.9 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 730,971 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.7 percent. North American rail volume for the first 46 weeks of 2017 was 32,358,665 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.7 percent compared with 2016.
Canadian railroads reported 79,822 carloads for the week, down 2.5 percent, and 68,407 intermodal units, up 8.5 percent compared with the same week in 2016. For the first 46 weeks of 2017, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,704,658 carloads, containers and trailers, up 10.8 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 16,382 carloads for the week, up 9.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 12,294 intermodal units, up 10.3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 46 weeks of 2017 was 1,264,576 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.4 percent from the same point last year.
