Domestic rail shows slight decline

   Total domestic rail traffic rose during the week ending August 10 by 2.7 percent when compared to the same week last year. The increase was due in part to a 6.1-percent rise in intermodal units, according to the Association of American Railroads.
   Total carloads, which ended the week at 288,803 units and was good for a 0.2-percent decrease, held back the total traffic rise.
   Petroleum products and nonmetallic minerals showed carload increases over last year, rising by 16.8 percent and 13.4 percent, respectively. Motor vehicle activity was up by 5.4 percent. These advances weren’t enough to erase the 11.4-percent decrease seen in grain activity.
   In Canada, AAR measured a 7.3-percent increase in carloads and a 1.1-percent increase in intermodal units, leading to a 4.7-percent increase in total traffic during the week. For carloads, metallic ore and nonmetallic mineral activity helped boost the result.
   Mexico experienced a 4.2-percent rise in total traffic, propped up by a 12.5-percent increase in carloads. Intermodal units dropped by 6.5 percent. – Jon Ross