UpdateCanada weekly chemical railcar traffic jumps 44.2%

06 May 2010 18:38  [Source: ICIS news]

(updates throughout with Canadian, Mexican shipment data)

TORONTO (ICIS news)--Chemical shipments on Canadian railroads rose 44.2% last week from the same time in 2009, marking their 17th increase in a row this year, an industry association said on Thursday.

Canadian chemical railcar loadings for the week ended on 1 May were 15,216, up 4,665 carloads from 10,551 in the same week last year, according to data released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

The increase for the week came after a 38.5% year-over-year increase in Canadian chemical carloads in the previous week ended on 24 April.

The weekly chemical railcar loadings data are seen as an important measure of chemical industry activity and demand. In Canada, chemical railcar traffic accounts for about 20% of overall railcar shipments, compared with around 10% in the US.

For the year-to-date period to 1 May, Canadian chemical railcar shipments were up 28.3% to 251,480 from 196,058 in the same period in 2009.

Meanwhile, Mexican chemical railcar traffic was down 3.4% last week to 1,163 from 1,204 in the same week a year earlier.

For the year-to-date period, Mexican shipments were up 8.6% to 19,529 from 17,990 in the same period last year.

The AAR reported earlier on Thursday that US chemical railcar traffic rose by 10.4% or 2,835 carloads to 30,162 from 27,327 in the same week last year.

Year-to-date to 1 May, US chemical railcar loadings were up 13.6% to 492,547 from 433,499 in the year-earlier period.

Total chemical railcar shipments for all of North America – US, Canada and Mexico - rose 19.1% for the week ended on 1 May to 46,541, from 39,082 in the same week in 2009.

For the year-to-date period to 1 May, overall North American chemical railcar traffic was up 17.9% to 763,556 from 647,547 in the year-earlier period.

Overall, the AAR tracks 19 carload commodity categories.

From the same week last year, total US weekly railcar traffic for the 19 carload commodity categories rose 16.3% to 295,718 from 254,210 and was up 5.3% to 4,769,658 year to date to 1 May. 

For all of North America, total railcar traffic rose 18.6% to 382,733 from 322,762 for the week and was up 8.2% to 6,229,078 year to date to 1 May.

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