WASHINGTON — Traffic figures suppressed by winter weather in February 2021 skewed year-to-year comparisons for U.S. rail traffic in February 2022 statistics released by the Association of American Railroads.
In the month just ended, U.S. railroads originated 915,320 carloads, an 11% increase over 2021, while the 1,030,317 containers and trailers represented a 1.4% increase. Overall traffic of 1,945,646 units constituted a 5.7% increase.
“U.S. rail traffic had big year-over-year gains in February largely because severe winter storms held volumes back last February,” AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray said in a press release. “That said, there were pockets of real strength last month. For example, carloads of chemicals set a new monthly record last month, carloads of coal were the highest in five months and carloads of lumber were the most in eight months.”
Through eight weeks of 2022, total traffic is down 2.4% compared to 2021.
Weekly traffic slips below 2021 levels … barely
Meanwhile, weekly rail traffic slipped back below 2021 levels, although only slightly.
For the week ending Feb. 26, overall U.S. rail traffic was 485,190 carloads and intermodal units, a 0.3% decline compared to the same week in 2021. That includes 223,330 carloads, a 3.6% increase, and 261,860 intermodal units, a 3.5% decline. The weekly total was ahead of the weekly average of 481,169 carloads and intermodal units through eight weeks.
A week earlier, overall U.S. traffic had been up 31.7%, reflecting the severe winter weather that disrupted rail operations in the corresponding week in 2021 [see “Weekly rail traffic figures skewed …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 24, 2022].
North American totals, for the 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, showed overall traffic at 654,142 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.8% compared to the same week in 2021. Carloads (314,601) were up 0.2%, while intermodal units (339,541) were down 5.5%. The year-to-date figure for overall North American traffic is down 4% compared to 2021.
