JOC Staff | Mar 14, 2013 3:38PM EDT
North American rail volumes fell for both carload and intermodal traffic for the week ending March 9. Volume declines occurred for the U.S., Canada and Mexico, according to the Association of American Railroads.
Combined North American carload volume, including all three North American Free Trade Agreement partners, dropped 2.3 percent from the week prior to 371,033 carloads, 0.8 percent more than it was during the same week in 2012. However, the total North American carload volume for 2013 year-to-date fell 2 percent from the same period in 2012, down to 3,645,271 carloads.
Intermodal volume also dropped this week to 297,760 units, down 4.7 percent sequentially but up 5.2 percent over the same week last year. The total intermodal volume for 2013 year-to-date is 2,994,171 trailers and containers, 7.1 percent higher year-over-year.
In the week ending March 9, U.S. carload volume declined 2.5 percent from the prior week to 276,698 carloads, down 0.9 percent year-over-year. U.S. intermodal volume fell 5.6 percent sequentially to 235,174 trailers and containers, up 4 percent over its volume for the same week in 2012. U.S. weekly carload volumes in 2013 have been below that of the same week in 2012 for nine out of the 10 weeks in 2013, whereas weekly intermodal volumes in 2013 have been larger than 2012 volumes for the past nine weeks.
The week’s Canadian carload volume declined 2.2 percent from the week before to 78,758 carloads, but was still up 4.8 percent from the same week last year. Canadian intermodal volume inched up by only 26 units to 52,760 trailers and containers this week and was up 7.2 percent year-over-year.
Mexican carload volume edged down 0.2 percent from the week before to 15,577 carloads, but was up 13 percent over the same week last year. Intermodal volume dropped 7.5 percent this week to 9,826 units, but was up 24.5 percent year-over-year. This is the ninth consecutive week that Mexican carload and intermodal traffic were up over the same weeks in 2012.
