As last week’s volumes were artificially high by comparison to the same week in 08, this weeks is artificially low due in part to the Labor Day Holiday.
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - Sept. 17, 2010
A CSX Locomotive moving freight across the East Coast.
The Association of American Railroads reported that weekly rail traffic slowed during the Labor Day holiday with U.S. railroads originating 277,530 carloads during the week ending Sept. 11, 2010, up 5.1 percent compared with the same week in 2009, and down 15.5 percent compared to the same week in 2008. The comparison weeks from 2010 and 2009 included the Labor Day holiday while the comparison week from 2008 did not.
Intermodal traffic totaled 206,850 trailers and containers, up 18.1 percent from the same week in 2009, and down 12.7 percent compared with 2008. Compared with the same week in 2009, container volume increased 20.7 percent and trailer volume rose 4.1 percent. Compared with the same week in 2008, container volume decreased 4.6 percent and trailer volume declined 43 percent.
Fifteen of the 19 carload commodity groups increased from the comparable week in 2009 with metallic ores and farm products excluding grain posting the most significant increases, up 129.9 percent and 38.7 percent respectively. Three carload commodity groups, led by farm products excluding grain, posted an increase over the 2008 comparison week.
Carload volume on Eastern railroads was up 1.2 percent from the same week last year, but down 20.8 percent from 2008. In the West, carload volume was up 7.7 percent from the same week last year and down 11.7 percent from two years ago.
US Cumulative Rail Volume
For the first 36 weeks of 2010, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 10,223,248 carloads, up 7 percent from 2009,
but down 12.7 percent from 2008, and 7,701,274 trailers or containers, up 14.5 percent from 2009,
but down 4.9 percent from 2008. This was a god indicator of overall economic activity up to about a month ago as this is the period in 2008 when the economy fell off a cliff and rail volumes fell with it.
Canadian Cumulative Rail Volume
Canadian railroads reported volume of 71,091 cars for the week, up 12 percent from last year, and 47,080 trailers or containers, up 23 percent from 2009. For the first 36 weeks of 2010, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,606,661 carloads, up 20.3 percent from last year, and 1,683,449 trailers or containers, up 15.8 percent from last year.
Mexican Cumulative Rail Volume
Mexican railroads reported originated volume of 14,336 cars, up 24.5 percent from the same week last year, and 7,782 trailers or containers, up 9.1 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 36 weeks of 2010 was reported as 494,968 carloads, up 20.8 percent from last year; and 237,378 trailers or containers, up 29.4 percent.
North American Cumulative Rail Volume
Combined North American rail volume for the first 36 weeks of 2010 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 13,324,877 carloads, up 9.9 percent from last year, and 9,622,101 trailers and containers, up 15.1 percent from last year.
Linear Mode
