NA railroads show mixed results so far

   For the first 16 weeks of the year, total railroad traffic in the United States has grown by nearly 1 percent over 2012’s figures, according to the Association of American Railroads.
   The organization measured total carloads and intermodal units of 8.2 million on April 20, showing a 0.7-perecent bump over last year. Total volume, however, of 4.4 million carloads, represented a 2.3-percent, year over year, drop. Intermodal units were up by 4.6 percent. 
   In Canada, carloads and intermodal units were both up during the same time span, showing year-over-year increases of 2.5 percent and 4 percent, respectively. Carloads in Mexico showed a 9.2-percent increase to 237,446 units, while intermodal units only bumped up by 1.8 percent to 146,159 units. – Jon Ross