Mark Szakonyi, Associate Editor | Jun 21, 2012 2:27PM EDT
Intermodal shipments on major U.S. railroads in the week ending June 16 rose on a week-to-week basis for the second week in a row, climbing 1.4 percent from the prior week, according to the Association of American Railroads.
The steady ramp-up in shipments suggests that U.S. rail shippers aren’t slowing down like the rest of the economy. Intermodal volume rose 5.2 percent year-over-year, while carload traffic fell 2.5 percent year-over-year but rose 0.6 percent from the prior week.
Shipments of grain, metallic ores, nometallic minerals, and iron and scrap steel fell on a double-digit basis compared to a year ago. Petroleum products, motor vehicle and equipment, and miscellaneous traffic had double-digit increases.
For the first 24 weeks of 2012, intermodal traffic rose 3.1 percent; carload traffic fell 3 percent in the same period.
Canadian intermodal volume in the week ending June 16 jumped 13 percent year-over-year, and carload volume fell 3 percent in the same period. So far this year, Canadian intermodal volume is up 6.9 percent year-over-year, and carload traffic is up 3.3 percent.
Mexican intermodal volume last week rose 7.6 percent year-over-year, and carload traffic dropped 4.6 percent in the same period. In the first 24 weeks of 2012, intermodal traffic rose 19.5 percent from the same period in 2011, but carload volume fell 3 percent.
Contact Mark Szakonyi at mszakonyi@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @szakonyi_joc.
