The following press release was posted on the Association of American Railroads (AAR) web site on 16 Apr 2009.
Rail Freight Traffic Off in Most Recent Week
WASHINGTON, April 16, 2009 — Bad weather in the Upper Midwest, the slow economy and the Good Friday holiday all combined to produce another down week for U.S. rail freight traffic during the week ended April 11, the Association of American Railroads reported today.
U.S. railroads originated 248,391 cars during the week, down 24.5 percent from the comparison week in 2008, with loadings down 22.5 percent in the West and 27.3 percent in the East. The comparison week from last year did not include Good Friday, which is observed as a holiday on most U.S. railroads.
Intermodal volume of 178,283 trailers or containers was off 21.6 percent from last year, with container volume falling 17.7 percent and trailer volume dropping 35.7 percent.
Total volume was estimated at 26.4 billion ton-miles, off 23.7 percent from 2008. For the first 14 weeks of 2009, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,770,207 carloads, down 17.2 percent from 2008; 2,606,619 trailers or containers, down 15.9 percent; and total volume of an estimated 400.1 billion ton-miles, down 16.1 percent.
Canadian railroads reported volume of 56,493 cars for the week, down 28.3 percent from last year, and 37,544 trailers or containers, down 24.6 percent. For the first 14 weeks of 2009, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 859,664 carloads, down 20.6 percent from last year; and 567,617 trailers or containers, down 13.5 percent.
Mexican railroads reported originated volume of 8,418 cars, down 29.6 percent from last year, and 3,705 trailers or containers, down 39.3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 14 weeks of 2009 was reported as 154,742 carloads, down 10.7 percent from last year; and 64,712 trailers or containers, down 20.4 percent.
Combined North American rail volume for the first 14 weeks of 2009 on 14 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 4,784,613 carloads, down 17.7 percent from last year, and 3,238,948 trailers and containers, down 15.6 percent from last year.
Railroads reporting to AAR account for 89 percent of U.S. carload freight and 98 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 96 percent and 100 percent. The Canadian railroads reporting to the AAR account for 91 percent of Canadian rail traffic. Railroads provide more than 40 percent of U.S. intercity freight transportation, more than any other mode, and rail traffic figures are regarded as an important economic indicator.
AAR is the world's leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on the safety and productivity of rail carriers.
All AAR press releases are available via the Internet at http://www.aar.org/.