PaperAge Magazine

North American Rail Traffic of Forest Products Down 8.9% in Week 51

CN Rail intermodal North American rail traffic of forest products for the week ended December 21 was 16,418 carloads, down 8.9% compared to the same week in 2018.

Dec. 30, 2019 - The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported rail traffic for forest products for the week ended December 21, 2019 (Week 51). The AAR's 'Forest Products' category includes primary forest products, lumber & wood products, and pulp & paper products.

North American rail traffic for the week was 16,418 carloads, down 8.9% compared to the same week in 2018. The cumulative total of carloads for the year was 846,756, down 6.2% versus the same period in 2018.

U.S.1 carloads for the week totaled 9,990, down 5.1% compared to the same week in 2018. The cumulative total of U.S. carloads for the year stood at 500,493, down 4.5% versus the same period in 2018.

Canadian2 carloads for the week totaled 6,388, down 14.4% compared to the same week in 2018. The cumulative total of Canadian carloads for the year stood at 344,896, down 8.5% versus the same period in 2018.

Mexican3 forest products rail traffic for the week totaled 40 carloads, up 66.7% over the same week in 2018. The cumulative total of carloads for the year stood at 1,367, down 4.5% versus the same period in 2018.

1 Excludes U.S. operations of Canadian Pacific, CN and GMXT (Grupo Mexico Transportes).
2 Includes U.S. operations of Canadian Pacific and CN.
3 Includes U.S. operations of GMXT.

Founded in 1934, AAR is the world's leading railroad policy, research, standard setting, and technology organization that focuses on the safety and productivity of the U.S. freight rail industry. AAR Full members include the major freight railroads in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as Amtrak. To learn more, visit: www.aar.org.

SOURCE: Association of American Railroads