Double-Digit Increases for Rail Traffic Continue

From the Association of American Railroads, for the week ended May 22 from the comparable week in 2009.

1. U.S. railroads originated 288,114 carloads during the week ended May 22, an increase of 10.6% from the comparable week in 2009 (down 12.4% from 2008).

2. Intermodal traffic was up 12.7 % from last year (down 7.9% from 2008).

3. Container volume increased 14.4 % (down 0.7% from 2008) and trailer volume rose 3.9% (down 34.4% from 2008).

4. Carload volume on Eastern railroads was up 13.6% from last year (down 17.9% from 2008).

5. In the West, carload volume was up 8.6% from last year (down 8.1% from 2008).

6. Fifteen of 19 carload commodity groups were up from last year, led by a 100% jump in metallic ores, a 79.7% gain in metals, 59.7% increase in coke, and then motor vehicles and equipment (46.8%), waste and scrap materials (32.4%), grain (22.8%), crushed stone, sand and gravel (22%), lumber and wood products (16.7%), nonmetallic minerals (15%), stone, clay and glass products (11.2%), and primary forest products, 10.3 percent.