WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic in April fell 5.8% from levels in 2021, marking the third time in four months volume was down over previous-year levels.
Statistics from the Association of American Railroads showed carload traffic was down by 31.929 carloads, or 3.4%, compared to April 2021, while intermodal traffic decreased by 90,869 units, or 7.7%. Year-to-date totals show carload traffic up 1.1% and intermodal traffic down 7.1%, for an overall decrease of 3.4%.
April’s figures follow overall decreases of 9.5% in January and 3% in March; in February, traffic was up 5.7%, a gain mostly reflective of severe weather that hampered rail traffic in February 2021.
“U.S. rail traffic in April had something for everyone,” AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray said in a press release. “Optimists can point to autos, chemicals, and scrap, all of which had solid gains. Pessimists can point to grain, intermodal, and petroleum products, which saw significant declines. In the middle are carloads of industrial products — an aggregation of seven key carload categories — which fell slightly in April, consistent with the most recent GDP numbers.”
Weekly numbers also down
For the week ending April 30, U.S. railroads moved 506,699 carloads and intermodal, down 6.3% from the same week in 2021. The 232,972 carloads represented a 3.4% drop, while the 273,727 trailers and containers represented an 8.7% decrease in intermodal units.
North American totals for the week, from 12 U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, included 332,643 carloads, down 3.1%, and 367,898 intermodal units, down 4.8%, for a total of 700,541 carloads and intermodal units, representing a 4% decline.
Year-to-date totals, through 17 weeks, show total North American rail traffic down 4%.
“Pessimists can point to grain, intermodal, and petroleum products, which saw significant declines.” And Class 1’s are refusing to handle some grain shipments.
Down 23%+ when Ukraine is unable to ship grain. Things that make you say “Hmmm”
This is often a clear indicator of recession.
Insert “I did that” image here.