Uptrend in Union Pacific’s Rail Traffic Continued

US Railroads Kick-Start 2019 with Strong Traffic Growth (Continued from Prior Part) ## Strong intermodal traffic growth Union Pacific’s (UNP) rail traffic volumes rose 5.9% YoY to 139,243 units in the first week of 2019 driven mainly by strong growth in intermodal units. Its rail traffic gain was higher than the US railroad (IYT) companies’ overall 4.8% gain during the same period. During the week, Union Pacific’s intermodal traffic grew 8.8% YoY to 58,320 containers and trailers from 53,582 units in the same period of the previous year. The company moved 55,515 containers in the week compared to 51,007 containers in the same week in 2018. Moreover, the railroad company’s trailer volumes expanded 8.9% YoY to 2,805 units compared to 2,575 units in Week 1 of 2018. Union Pacific’s intermodal volume gain was the highest among all Class I railroad companies followed by Norfolk Southern (NSC), which reported 8.7% YoY gains. BNSF Railway, Canadian Pacific (CP), and CSX (CSX) reported a decline in intermodal traffic. ## Carload traffic Union Pacific’s carload traffic increased 3.9% YoY in the first week. The company carried 80,923 railcars excluding intermodal units compared to 77,873 carloads in the same period last year. Commodities excluding coal and coke posted a 6.5% YoY increase in traffic to 60,671 railcars from 56,972 railcars. However, coal and coke traffic fell 3.1% YoY in Week 1 to 20,252 carloads from 20,901 carloads in the same week of 2018. Commodities excluding coal and coke that reported notable volume growth in Week 1 included chemicals, grain, non-metallic minerals, petroleum products, and metal products. Commodities other than coal and coke that recorded YoY falls in volumes in Week 1 were metallic minerals, and motor vehicles and equipment. Next, we’ll discuss Canadian Pacific’s rail traffic performance. Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: * Part 1 - US Railroads Kick-Start 2019 with Strong Traffic Growth * Part 2 - Norfolk Southern Was Top Traffic Volume Gainer in First Week * Part 3 - CSX Reported Strong Carload Traffic Growth in Week 1