Weekly US pulp and paper rail freight climbs, Canada falls; strike threat eases

By James McLaren, Senior Editor, PPI Pulp & Paper Week, RISI

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 18, 2011 (RISI) - North American pulp and paper rail freight for the week ending Nov. 12 was off 0.1% from a year ago to 9,248 carloads. Volume through 45 weeks of 2011 at 430,025 carloads was 3.1% higher than the same period of 2010, the Assn of American Railroads reported.

Weekly US pulp and paper freight was 6.5% higher, Canada dropped 9.4% and Mexico was 23.2% lower. Year-to-date US freight was up 4.9%, Canada was unchanged and Mexico was 11.6% higher, AAR showed.

North American lumber and wood products freight for the week at 5,166 carloads surged 13.9% from a year ago and through 45 weeks at 238,096 carloads was 9.9% higher.

A threat of a US railroad strike eased this week as 10 of 13 unions reached agreements with the largest rail carriers represented by the National Railway Labor Conference, Bloomberg reported Friday. The deals so far cover about 60% of the 132,000 employees in negotiations.