The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported an increase in weekly rail traffic for the week ending February 4, 2012, with U.S. railroads originating 284,546 carloads, up 6.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Intermodal volume for the week totaled 232,590 trailers and containers, up 16.8 percent compared with the same week last year.
Sixteen of the 20 carload commodity groups posted increases compared with the same week in 2011, with metallic ores, up 63.2 percent; motor vehicles and equipment, up 42 percent, and petroleum products, up 40.5.
The group showing a significant decrease in weekly traffic included grain, down 9.7 percent.
Weekly carload volume on Eastern railroads was up 3.1 percent compared with the same week last year. In the West, weekly carload volume was up 8.3 percent compared with the same week in 2011.
For the first five weeks of 2012, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,429,346 carloads, up 1.3 percent from last year, and 1,110,227 trailers and containers, up 4.5 percent from last year.
Canadian railroads reported 77,225 carloads for the week, up 13.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 51,262 trailers and containers, up 15.4 percent compared with 2011.
