AAR Reports Steady Weekly Rail Traffic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AAR Reports Steady Weekly Rail Traffic

WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 21, 2011– The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported steady weekly rail traffic gains with U.S. railroads originating 295,426 carloads for the week ending April 16, 2011, down slightly at 0.3 percent compared with the same week last year. Intermodal volume for the week was up 9.8 percent compared with the same week last year, totaling 230,460 trailers and containers.

Eleven of the 20 carload commodity groups posted increases from the comparable week in 2010. Those groups posting significant increases included: farm products excluding grain, up 18.6 percent; metallic ores, up 17.3 percent, and motor vehicles and equipment, up 12.5 percent. The commodity groups reporting a notable drop in weekly traffic were primary forest products, down 25 percent; nonmetallic minerals, down 22.4 percent, and waste and nonferrous scrap, down 17 percent.

Weekly carload volume on Eastern railroads was down 3.1 percent compared with the same week last year. In the West, weekly carload volume was up 1.6 percent compared with the same week in 2010.

For the first 15 weeks of 2011, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 4,363,173 carloads, up 4.5 percent from last year, and 3,315,400 trailers and containers, up 9 percent from the same point in 2010.

Canadian railroads reported 76,824 carloads for the week, up 4 percent from last year, and 46,039 trailers and containers, down 3 percent from 2010. For the first 15 weeks of 2011, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,086,988 carloads, up 0.4 percent from the same point last year, and 683,924 trailers and containers, up 3.8 percent from last year.

Mexican railroads reported 16,021 carloads for the week, up 16.4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 7,791 trailers and containers, up 8.4 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 15 weeks of 2011 was 219,921 carloads, up 9.4 percent compared with the same point last year, and 106,539 trailers and containers, up 9.5 percent.

Combined North American rail volume for the first 15 weeks of 2011 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 5,670,082 carloads, up 3.9 percent compared with the same point last year, and 4,105,863 trailers and containers, up 8.1 percent compared with last year.

 Weekly Rail Traffic Charts (PDF)

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For more information contact: Holly Arthur, harthur@aar.org, 202-639-2344 or Nell Callahan, ncallahan@skdknick.com, 202-464-6913.

About AAR: The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the world's leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on the safety and productivity of rail carriers. AAR members include the major freight railroads of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, as well as Amtrak. Learn more at www.aar.org. Follow us on Twitter: AAR_FreightRail or Facebook: www.facebook.com/freightrail.