Intermodal Volume Slips 2.8 Percent

Intermodal volume last week slipped 2.8 percent year-over-year to 214,402 trailers and containers while carload traffic fell 5 percent to 281,644 carloads, the Association of American Railroads reported.

Nine of the 20 carload commodity groups posted increases. Shipments of motor vehicles and equipment rose 30.9 percent; petroleum products increased 25.6 percent, and metals and products were up 19.4 percent. Commodities showing decreases included coal, down 13.1 percent; grain, down 11.9 percent, and nonmetallic minerals, down 10.8 percent.

For the first eight weeks of 2012, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,272,480 carloads, down 0.3 percent from last year, and 1,772,839 trailers and containers, up 1.6 percent from last year.

Weekly carload volume was down 8 percent for Eastern railroads and 2.9 percent on Western railroads.

Canadian railroads reported 76,894 carloads for the week, up 7.4 percent, and 45,665 trailers and containers, down 2.6 percent. For the first eight weeks of 2012, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 599,558 carloads, up 6.8 percent, and 386,354 trailers and containers, up 5.7 percent.

By the Numbers: U.S. IMC Intermodal Yield

Mexican railroads reported 13,790 carloads for the week, down 8.1 percent, and 9,135 trailers and containers, up 17.8 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first eight weeks of 2012 was 104,794 carloads, down 8.5 percent compared to last year, and 71,859 trailers and containers, up 21.6 percent.

Combined North American rail volume for the first eight weeks of 2012 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 2,976,832 carloads, up 0.7 percent, and 2,231,052 trailers and containers, up 2.8 percent.

Contact Joseph Bonney at jbonney@joc.com. Follow him on twitter @josephbonney.