UpdateCanadian weekly chemical railcar traffic rises by 9.9%

09 June 2011 21:08  [Source: ICIS news]

(adds Canadian and Mexican chemical railcar shipment data)

TORONTO (ICIS)--Chemical shipments on Canadian railroads rose by 9.9% in the week ended 4 June compared with the same period in 2010, an industry association said on Thursday.

Canadian chemical railcar loadings for the week totalled 10,921, up from 9,934 in the same week a year earlier, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) said.

The previous week ended 28 May saw a year-on-year increase of 26.4%.

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 4 June, Canadian chemical railcar shipments were up by 11.4% to 256,293.

The AAR said chemical railcar traffic in Mexico fell by 15.6% year on year to 939 from 1,113 in the same week a year earlier.

Year to date to 4 June, Mexican chemical railcar shipments were up by 3.3% to 25,881 carloads.

Chemical shipments on US railroads rose by 8.1% year on year in the week ended 4 June.

There were 28,633 US chemical railcar loadings last week, up from 26,496 carloads in the same week in 2010.

In the previous week ended 28 May, US chemical railcar traffic rose by 2.7% year on year. 

Overall, US weekly railcar shipments for the 19 high-volume freight commodity groups tracked by the AAR rose by 1.1% to 273,584 carloads.

For all of North America, total weekly railcar traffic rose by 1.6% to 362,093 carloads.

Read Paul Hodges’ Chemicals and the Economy Blog

By: Stefan Baumgarten
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