UpdateCanadian weekly chem railcar traffic rises 15.1%

22 July 2010 18:53  [Source: ICIS news]

(adds Canada and Mexico shipment data and updates throughout))

TORONTO (ICIS news)--Chemical shipments on Canadian railroads rose 15.1% last week from the same period in 2009, marking the 28th consecutive weekly increase this year, an industry association said on Thursday.

Canadian chemical railcar loadings for the week ended on 17 July were 13,193, compared with 11,466 carloads 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 4.6% year-over-year increase in Canadian chemical carloads in the previous week ended 10 July.

The weekly chemical railcar loadings data are seen as an important real-time 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 17 July, Canadian chemical railcar shipments were up 25.4% to 401,188, from 319,907 in the same period in 2009.

The association said that chemical railcar traffic in Mexico fell 12.1% last week, to 1,180 from 1,342 in the same week a year earlier. Rail traffic was hampered by severe flooding in northern Mexico.

For the year-to-date period, Mexican shipments were up 3.1%, to 31,958, from 31,006 in the same period last year.

The AAR reported earlier on Thursday that US chemical railcar traffic for the week ended 17 July rose 8.2% to 29,515, from 27,273 in year-earlier week.

Year-to-date to 17 July, US chemical railcar loadings were up 12.0% to 806,350, from 720,117 in the year-earlier period.

Overall chemical railcar shipments for all of North America – US, Canada and Mexico – rose 9.5% for the week ended on 17 July, to 43,888 from 40,081.

For the year-to-date period to 17 July, overall North American chemical railcar traffic was up 15.7% to 1,239,496, from 1,071,030 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 groups tracked by the AAR rose 5.5%, to 282,199 from 267,385, and was up 7.3% to 7,874,125 year to date to 17 July. 

For all of North America, total railcar traffic rose 8.0%, to 365,096 from 338,068 for the week, and was up 10.3% to 10,278,759 year to date to 17 July.

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