The Association of American Railroads (AAR) released their annual rail traffic report Thursday, citing gains across the board for the United States, Canada and Mexico. Carloads originating in the US totaled 15.2 million in 2011, an increase of 2.2 percent over 2010. Total US rail intermodal volume in 2011 was 11.9 million trailers and containers, up 5.4 percent over 2010. The sectors registering the most significant gains were: metallic ores (up 20.5 percent), primary metal products (up 12 percent) and petroleum products (up 11.1 percent).
In 2011, Canadian railroads reported an annual cumulative gain of 3.4 percent over 2010, with trailers and containers increasing 2.4 percent. Mexican railroads reported an annual cumulative gain of 3.7 percent over 2010, with trailers and containers rising 23.7 percent from last year. These averages helped North America record an overall annual gain of 2.5 percent in 2011 compared to the previous year.