UpdateCanadian weekly chemical railcar traffic rises 15.7%

31 March 2011 17:46  [Source: ICIS news]

(adds Canadian and Mexican chemical rail traffic data)

TORONTO (ICIS)--Chemical shipments on Canadian railroads rose 15.7% in the week ended 26 March compared with the same period in 2010, an industry association said on Thursday.

Canadian chemical railcar loadings were 12,129, up from 10,482 in the same week a year earlier, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) said.

The previous week ended 19 March saw a year-on-year increase of 11.4%.

The weekly chemical railcar loadings data are seen as an important real-time measure of chemical industry activity and demand. Canada’s chemical industry transports two thirds of its annual shipments on the country’s railway system.

Year to date to 26 March, Canadian chemical railcar shipments were up 10.2% to 139,646 from 126,771 in the year-earlier period.

The association said chemical railcar traffic in Mexico rose 10.5% last week to 1,321, from 1,196 in the same week a year earlier.

Year to date to 26 March, Mexican chemical railcar shipments were down 0.6% to 13,511 from 13,591.

Chemical shipments on US railroads rose 12.1% in the week ended 26 March compared with the same period in 2010.

There were 31,868 chemical railcar loadings last week, up from 28,419 loadings in the same week a year earlier.

The previous week ended 19 March saw a year-on-year increase of 6.5%.

Overall, US weekly railcar shipments for the 19 high-volume freight commodity groups tracked by the AAR rose 1.9% to 299,902.

For all of North America, total weekly railcar traffic rose 2.1% to 392,400.

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