AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic Remains Down Year Over Year
20 Aug 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact:
AAR Communications, 202-639-2100
Holly Arthur harthur@aar.org
Lauren Sandberg lsandberg@aar.org
AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic Remains Down Year Over Year
Rail Carloadings Registering Incremental Gains
WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 20, 2009 — The Association of American Railroads today reported that rail carloadings are registering incremental gains, but traffic remains down year over year for the week ended Aug. 15, 2009. U.S railroads reported originating 276,488 cars, down 17.1 percent compared with the same week in 2008. Regionally, carloadings were down 16.6 percent in the West and 17.8 percent in the East.
Intermodal volume of 193,488 trailers or containers was down 18.4 percent from the same week last year. Container volume fell 13.1 percent and trailer volume dropped 38.6 percent. Total volume on U.S. railroads for the week ending August 15 was estimated at 29.5 billion ton-miles, off 16.7 percent from the same week last year.
All 19 carload freight commodity groups were down from last year, with declines ranging from 0.9 percent for farm products not including grain to 51 percent for metals and metal products.
For the first 32 weeks of 2009, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,436,160 carloads, down 18.9 percent from 2008; 5,958,304 trailers or containers, down 17.2 percent, and total volume of an estimated 897.8 billion ton-miles, down 18 percent.
Canadian railroads reported volume of 62,796 cars for the week, down 21.7 percent from last year, and 42,828 trailers or containers, down 16.7 percent. For the first 32 weeks of 2009, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,909,206 carloads, down 23.8 percent from last year, and 1,286,117 trailers or containers, down 16.3 percent.
Mexican railroads reported originated volume of 12,039 cars, down 10.6 percent from the same week last year, and 5,803 trailers or containers, off 15 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 32 weeks of 2009 was reported as 3635,192 carloads, down 15.2 percent from last year; and 156,543 trailers or containers, down 21.2 percent.
Combined North American rail volume for the first 32 weeks of 2009 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 10,708,558 carloads, down 19.7 percent from last year, and 7,400,964 trailers and containers, down 17.1 percent from last year.
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Editors’ Note: 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, or Class I railroads, of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, as well as Amtrak. Class I railroads represent 67 percent of the U.S. freight rail mileage and 90 percent of freight railroad industry employees. Railroads account for 43 percent of intercity freight volume — more than any other mode of transportation. To learn more about how freight rail works for America, the environment and for you, please visit: www.freightrailworks.org.
For weekly rail traffic charts, please click here