Us Rail Intermodal Traffic At 51-Week High

The Association of American Railroads said the last time intermodal traffic was higher was when it totalled 171,285 trailers and containers in the week ended September 30, 1995.

Intermodal traffic in the September 21 week was up 3.7 per cent from 163,044 trailers and containers in the year-ago week.

AAR said total carloads, which do not include intermodal, were 357,286, down one per cent from 360,768 in the same 1995 week.

Ton-miles also fell 0.4 per cent to 26.5 billion in the week from 26.6 billion last year. A ton-mile equals one ton of freight hauled one mile.

The continued softness in grain loadings was the major story again this week, AAR chief economist Harvey Levine said. Grain was down 32.1 per cent to 18,931 carloads from 27,896 in the year-ago week. AAR said other big declines were in food and kindred products, which fell 10.5 per cent to 8,366 carloads from 9,346 last year, and coke, which fell 10.7 per cent to 5,426 carloads from 6,073.

 

Primary forest products also fell, to 7,704 carloads from 8,385 last year. Lumber and wood products fell 0.5 per cent to 5,496 carloads from 5,526 last year.

The biggest increases were in petroleum products, which rose nine per cent to 5,877 carloads from 5,394 in the year-ago week, and metals and metal products, which rose 6.3 per cent to 13,496 carloads from 12,701.

Coal loadings increased five per cent to 141,181 from 134,477 last year. Motor vehicles and equipment carloads were 22,129, also up five per cent from 21,076 last year, AAR said.

In the first 38 weeks of 1996, AAR said ton-miles rose two per cent from the same period last year. Intermodal traffic also rose 0.7 per cent, but carloads fell 0.9 per cent, AAR said.