US weekly chem rail traffic up 11.4% after one year of declines

10 September 2009 20:48  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS news)--US chemical railcar traffic rose 11.4% in the week ended on 5 September from the same week in 2008, marking the first increase in the weekly shipments after 52 consecutive declines, according to data released on Thursday by an industry association.

US chemical railcar loadings for the week were 28,906, up by 2,964 shipments from 25,942 in the same week in 2008, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) said.

With railroads transporting more than 20% of the chemicals produced in the US, the weekly shipment data are a good early indicator of current chemical industry activity.

In the previous week ended on 29 August, US chemical railcar traffic fell 13.4% or 4,512 carloads, to 29,251, from 33,763 in the same week in 2008, marking a one full year of straight declines.

For the year-to-date period through 5 September, US chemical railcar loadings are down 15.4% to 915,407, from 1,081,486 in the same period last year.

The AAR also provided comparable chemical railcar shipment data for Canada, Mexico and North America as a whole.

Canadian chemical rail traffic for the week ended on 5 September rose 0.4% to 12,782, from 12,728 in the same week last year.

For the year-to-date period, Canadian shipments were 405,369, down 23.1% from 526,997 in the same period in 2008.

Mexican weekly chemical rail traffic rose 5.4% to 1,051 shipments, from 997 in the same week a year earlier.

For the year-to-date period, Mexican shipments were 38,656, up 20.5% from 32,089 in the same period last year.

For all of North America, chemical railcar shipments totalled 42,739, up 7.7% from 39,667 in the same week in 2008.

For the year-to-date period, North American chemical railcar traffic was down 17.1% to 1,359,432 from 1,640,572 in the year-earlier period.

Overall, the AAR tracks 19 carload commodity categories.

From the same week last year, US weekly railcar traffic for the 19 carload commodity categories fell 6.7%, to 284,715, and dropped 18.4% to 9.3m year to date.

For all of North America, railcar traffic sank 9.2% to 360,043, and fell 19.2% in the year-to-date period ended on 5 September to 11.8m.

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