The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending November 11, 2017.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 547,480 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending November 11 were 263,265 carloads, down 3.3 percent compared with the same week in 2016, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 284,215 containers and trailers, up 5.6 percent compared to 2016.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2016. They included nonmetallic minerals, up 1,450 carloads, to 38,318; chemicals, up 1,058 carloads, to 30,662; and metallic ores and metals, up 892 carloads, to 22,673. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 included coal, down 6,740 carloads, to 85,378; grain, down 3,973 carloads, to 22,845; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 865 carloads, to 10,284.
For the first 45 weeks of 2017, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 11,702,354 carloads, up 3.1 percent from the same point last year; and 12,133,011 intermodal units, up 3.7 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 45 weeks of 2017 was 23,835,365 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.4 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending November 11, 2017, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 361,402 carloads, down 1.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 365,749 intermodal units, up 7.7 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 727,151 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.8 percent. North American rail volume for the first 45 weeks of 2017 was 31,627,694 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.8 percent compared with 2016.
Canadian railroads reported 81,073 carloads for the week, up 0.2 percent, and 69,896 intermodal units, up 16.1 percent compared with the same week in 2016. For the first 45 weeks of 2017, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,556,429 carloads, containers and trailers, up 11 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 17,064 carloads for the week, up 14.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,638 intermodal units, up 10.9 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 45 weeks of 2017 was 1,235,900 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.2 percent from the same point last year.
