For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 515,269 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.9% compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending Nov. 9 were 248,905 carloads, down 5.1% compared with the same week in 2018, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 266,364 containers and trailers, down 6.7% compared to 2018.
One of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2018. It was grain, up 342 carloads, to 21,855. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2018 included coal, down 9,577 carloads, to 75,180; miscellaneous carloads, down 843 carloads, to 10,944; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 741 carloads, to 12,617.
For the first 45 weeks of 2019, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 11,337,628 carloads, down 4.3% from the same point last year; and 11,988,234 intermodal units, down 4.6% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 45 weeks of 2019 was 23,325,862 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 4.4% compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending Nov. 9, 2019, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 352,176 carloads, down 4.8% compared with the same week last year, and 352,712 intermodal units, down 6.5% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 704,888 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.6%. North American rail volume for the first 45 weeks of 2019 was 31,852,518 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.4% compared with 2018.
Canadian railroads reported 83,174 carloads for the week, down 5.5%, and 68,361 intermodal units, down 5.9% compared with the same week in 2018. For the first 45 weeks of 2019, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,824,664 carloads, containers and trailers, up 0.4%.
Mexican railroads reported 20,097 carloads for the week, up 2.8% compared with the same week last year, and 17,987 intermodal units, down 5.5%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 45 weeks of 2019 was 1,701,992 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 2.7% from the same point last year.
— From an Association of American Railroads news release. Nov. 13, 2019.
The vultures are circling on this industry. Has there ever been a time when railroads left this much business on the table. Meantime the STB sits around with its hands in its pockets.
It would be interesting to find out if this Precision Sched with its corresponding layoffs & locomotives stored if it has resulted in more reliable service for the customer…if not then I guess it was just to satisfy the stockholders with bigger dividends that can only last for so long then what? More mergers to squeeze out more jobs and capacity. A race to the bottom they’re going to make the rail industry extinct!
When you don’t want to compete and become meaningful this is what you get. Gone are less than carload, hundreds of branch lines, intermodal to medium and small cities, perishable business, live stock, and similar traffic……….All opportunities the railroads have surrendered away.
And to think the class one’s begrudged Amtrak’s Express business. Bet all that goes by truck now too.
If traffic is this slow pre Christmas, I wonder how bad it will be in February.
Profits are up!