AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic Down Year Over Year
22 Oct 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 Down Year Over Year
Comparison Week in 2008 Was First Sign of Economic Slump
WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 22, 2009 — The Association of American Railroads today reported that rail traffic remains down year over year for the week ended Oct. 17, 2009. U.S railroads reported originating 275,545 carloads, down 15.4 percent compared with the same week in 2008. Regionally, carloads were down 14.2 percent in the West and 17 percent in the East.
It was the same week last year that notable declines in rail carloads (2.4 percent) and rail intermodal (2.8 percent) traffic showed the first significant signs of the nation’s economic downturn. Therefore, year over comparisons for weekly rail traffic may appear to improve going forward.
Intermodal traffic totaled 206,139 trailers or containers, down 12.6 percent from a year ago. In the year-over-year comparison container volume fell 6.7 percent and trailer volume dropped 35.2 percent.
Eighteen of the 19 carload freight commodity groups were down from the same week last year. However, grain mill products were up 7.3 percent. Declines in commodity groups ranged from 2.7 percent for petroleum products to 74.7 percent for metallic ores.
For the first 41 weeks of 2009, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 10,930,879 carloads, down 18.1 percent from 2008; 7,762,379 trailers or containers, down 16.5 percent, and total volume of an estimated 1.17 trillion ton-miles, down 17.1 percent. Total volume on U.S. railroads for the week ending October 17 was estimated at 31 billion ton-miles, off 13.9 percent from the same week last year.
Canadian railroads reported volume of 69,146 cars for the week, down 10.4 percent from last year, and 41,835 trailers or containers, down 11.3 percent. For the first 41 weeks of 2009, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,514,593 carloads, down 21.7 percent from last year, and 1,676,041 trailers or containers, down 16 percent.
Mexican railroads reported originated volume of 12,293 cars, down 9.5 percent from the same week last year, and 7,027 trailers or containers, down 11.3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 41 weeks of 2009 was reported as 468,609 carloads, down 12.9 percent from last year; and 217,596 trailers or containers, down 17.8 percent.
Combined North American rail volume for the first 41 weeks of 2009 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 13,914,081 carloads, down 18.6 percent from last year, and 9,656,016 trailers and containers, down 16.5 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.
Weekly Rail Traffic Charts