MOSCOW (MRC) -- During the week ended 19 December, chemical railcar traffic in North America totaled 45,883 carloads, down 1.2% from the previous week and up 0.6% year-over-year (YOY), according to Chemweek with reference to data released on 23 December by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
On a four-week basis, volume was up 6.1% from 2019 and down 4.6% from 2018 (chart). For the year to date, chemical railcar traffic in North America was down 2.8%, even with the previous week and the highest figure since mid-May, when volume for the year to date was down 2.4%.
Chemical railcar traffic in the United States contributed 33,276 carloads to the total, up 2.7% YOY and up 2.1% from the previous week. For the year to date, US chemical railcar traffic was down 3.5%.
Canadian chemical rail traffic totaled 11,820 carloads, down 3.5% YOY and down 8.8% from the previous week. For the year to date, Canadian chemical railcar traffic was down 0.9%.
Chemical railcar traffic in Mexico totaled 787 carloads, a YOY decrease of 17.3% and a sequential decrease of 13.0%. For the year to date, Mexican chemical railcar traffic was down 2.3%.
We remind that Russia"s output of chemical products rose in October 2020 by 7.2% year on year. At the same time, production of basic chemicals grew in the first ten months of 2020 by 6.3% year on year, according to Rosstat's data. According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, polymers in primary form accounted for the greatest increase in the January-October output. October production of polymers in primary form grew to 857,000 tonnes from 852,000 tonnes in September. Overall output of polymers in primary form totalled 8,340,000 tonnes over the stated period, up by 17% year on year.
We also remind that Russia's output of products from polymers grew in October 2020 by 6.3% year on year.
However, this figure increased by 1.5% year on year in the first ten months of 2020. According to the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, October production of unreinforced and non-combined films rose to 124,000 tonnes from 117,600 tonnes a month earlier. Output of films products grew in January-October 2020 by 8.5% year on year to 1 104,900 tonnes.
MRC