AAR Reports Rail Traffic Remains Down Year Over Year
24 Sep 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 Rail Traffic Remains Down Year Over Year
Year-over-Year Comparison Tempered by Hurricane Ike Impacts in 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 24, 2009 — The Association of American Railroads today reported 282,341 carloads for the week ending Sept. 19, 2009, down 9.6 percent compared with the same week in 2008. While the weekly year-over-year percentage decline was better than for the previous week ending Sept. 12, 2009, down 19.8 percent, this week in 2008 was impacted by service disruptions associated with Hurricane Ike. Regionally, carloadings were down 4.8 percent in the West and 15.8 percent in the East.
Intermodal traffic of 205,137 trailers or containers on U.S. railroads was down 12.4 percent from the same week last year. Container volume fell 6.29 percent and trailer volume dropped 35.5 percent.
Fifteen of the 19 carload freight commodity groups were down from last year. However, chemicals were up 17.4 percent, petroleum products were up 6.7 percent and farm products (excluding grain) were up slightly by 3.3 percent.
For the first 37 weeks of 2009, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 9,831,638 carloads, down 18.2 percent from 2008; 6,936,253 trailers or containers, down 16.8 percent, and total volume of an estimated 1.05 trillion ton-miles, down 17.3 percent. Total volume on U.S. railroads for the week ending September 19 was estimated at 30.2 billion ton-miles, off 8.5 percent from the same week last year.
Canadian railroads reported volume of 68,134 cars for the week, down 10.7 percent from last year, and 45,859 trailers or containers, down 11.4 percent. For the first 37 weeks of 2009, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,235,077 carloads, down 22.8 percent from last year, and 1,500,252 trailers or containers, down 16.3 percent.
Mexican railroads reported originated volume of 10,836 cars, down 0.8 percent from the same week last year, and 6,223 trailers or containers, down 7.8 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 37 weeks of 2009 was reported as 420,254 carloads, down 14.1 percent from last year; and 189,297 trailers or containers, down 19.1 percent.
Combined North American rail volume for the first 37 weeks of 2009 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 12,486,969 carloads, down 18.9 percent from last year, and 8,625,802 trailers and containers, down 16.8 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.
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