The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported Thursday that combined North American rail volume for the first nine weeks of 2012 on 13 reporting US, Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 3.35 million carloads--up 0.2 percent compared with last year--and 2.4 million trailers and containers--up 3.2 percent compared to February 2010.
US rail carloads originating in February 2012 totaled 1.4 million, down 1.9 percent, compared with February 2011. Intermodal volume in February 2012 was 1.1 million containers and trailers, up 2.4 percent compared with February 2011.
Fourteen of the 20 commodity groups tracked by AAR showed gains in February 2012 compared with the same month last year, including: motor vehicles and parts (up 22.1 percent); petroleum and petroleum products (up 28.7 percent); steel and other primary metal products (up 18. 1 percent); and metallic ores (up 15.7 percent). Meanwhile commodities with carload declines in February were led by coal (down 10.6 percent).
For the first nine weeks of 2012, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 675,811 carloads, up 7 percent from the same point last year, and 432,999 trailers and containers, up 5.8 percent from last year.
Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first nine weeks of 2012 is 118,759 carloads, down 7.8 percent compared with last year, and 79,739 trailers and containers, up 20.3 percent.