For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 485,329 carloads and intermodal units, down 6.6% compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending Feb. 8 were 232,116 carloads, down 4.2% compared with the same week in 2019, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 253,213 containers and trailers, down 8.8% compared to 2019.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2019. They included miscellaneous carloads, up 2,404 carloads, to 10,900; farm products excluding grain, and food, up 1,205 carloads, to 16,256; and chemicals, up 887 carloads, to 32,670. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2019 included coal, down 10,686 carloads, to 64,996; non-metallic minerals, down 2,794 carloads, to 28,354; and motor vehicles and parts, down 694 carloads, to 16,376.
For the first six weeks of 2020, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,397,849 carloads, down 5.6% from the same point last year; and 1,498,293 intermodal units, down 6%from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first six weeks of 2020 was 2,896,142 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 5.8% compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending Feb. 8, 2020, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 327,509 carloads, down 1.3% compared with the same week last year, and 332,589 intermodal units, down 6.3% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 660,098 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.8%. North American rail volume for the first six weeks of 2020 was 3,974,361 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.9% compared with 2019.
Canadian railroads reported 76,168 carloads for the week, up 6.6%, and 62,145 intermodal units, up 0.1% compared with the same week in 2019. For the first six weeks of 2020, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 858,212 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.7%.
Mexican railroads reported 19,225 carloads for the week, up 6.7% compared with the same week last year, and 17,231 intermodal units, up 13.8%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first six weeks of 2020 was 220,007 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 12% from the same point last year.
— From an Association of American Railroads news release. Feb. 12, 2020.
Jim; I didn’t comment on forest products but, truckers are hurting now too. Talking to friends who are employed in the trucking industry; they describe the current trucking market as a “trucking Armageddon”.
Frankly, I can’t explain some of the contradictions between what the railroad and trucking industry stats seem to indicate as opposed to those coming from other origins.
Mr. Warfel: I beg to differ. Housing construction is up 14%. Yet, forest products still in the red. Somebody is hauling all this wood and materials and it doesn’t appear to be the Class Ones.
Biggest volume losses here are coal (no surprise) and intermodal. On the latter; we know that UP and NS are refusing to price competitively with over the road truckers so that number likely won’t improve until either trucking capacity becomes tight at some point in the future or the folks in Omaha and Atlanta extract their heads.
Excluding these two categories; the losses in the other categories showing negative numbers are consistent with the manufacturing recession; specifically non metallic minerals, metallic minerals and ores and motor vehicles and parts.
Interesting, the best mile for mile railroad in the nation is experiencing a 6% increase in carloadings. That’s the Reading and Northern. A railroad that treats its employees well, fields attractive and lettered rail cars, promotes steam and passenger, and paints over graffiti!