The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending October 6, 2018. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 554,238 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending October 6 were 269,634 carloads, up 0.7 percent compared with the same week in 2017, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 284,604 containers and trailers, up 1.8 percent compared to 2017.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2017. They included petroleum and petroleum products, up 2,579 carloads, to 12,545; coal, up 1,250 carloads, to 88,939; and metallic ores and metals, up 880 carloads, to 22,121. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2017 included grain, down 1,918 carloads, to 22,641; nonmetallic minerals, down 1,557 carloads, to 37,581; and miscellaneous carloads, down 154 carloads, to 9,860.
For the first 40 weeks of 2018, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 10,518,193 carloads, up 2 percent from the same point last year; and 11,116,608 intermodal units, up 5.9 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 40 weeks of 2018 was 21,634,801 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.9 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending October 6, 2018, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 375,239 carloads, up 1.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 375,166 intermodal units, up 0.8 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 750,405 carloads and intermodal units, up 1 percent. North American rail volume for the first 40 weeks of 2018 was 29,182,005 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.6 percent compared with 2017.
Canadian railroads reported 85,997 carloads for the week, up 4 percent, and 70,135 intermodal units, down 2.3 percent compared with the same week in 2017. For the first 40 weeks of 2018, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,000,438 carloads, containers and trailers, up 3.7 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 19,608 carloads for the week, down 3.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 20,427 intermodal units, down 1 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 40 weeks of 2018 was 1,546,766 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers.
