WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was up 1% in May over the same month in 2023, the fourth straight month of modest gains over the previous year, according to the Association of American Railroads.
Traffic for the week ending June 1 was also up over the same week a year earlier.
May volume included a 6% decline in carload traffic compared to May 2023, with gains in 12 of the 20 commodity categories tracked by the AAR. Intermodal traffic was up 7.6%.
“At first glance, rail traffic in May seems to display mixed signals,” AAR Chief Economist Rand Ghayad said in a press release. “While coal’s continued decline has led to a decrease in total carloads, a closer examination reveals that carloads (excluding coal) increased for the fourth consecutive month. Although it is unlikely that we will witness a reversal in coal’s trend, other commodities — such as intermodal traffic and petroleum — hold greater growth potential and will likely be more important strategically for railroads in the future. In May, intermodal traffic spiked, maintaining its upward trajectory over several months. This surge reflects both increased port activity and intensified efforts by railroads to compete in a fiercely competitive market. Additionally, solid volume gains were observed for petroleum products, chemicals, and grain.”
Excluding coal, carload traffic was up 0.3% compared to May 2023.
Year-to-date traffic through five months shows carload traffic down 5% and intermodal volume up 8.7%, for an overall gain of 1.9% compared to the same period a year ago.
Week ending June 1
U.S. traffic for week 22 of 2024 totaled 450,077 carloads and intermodal units, a 2.4% increase over the same week in 2023. That includes 206,236 carloads, down 5.9% compared to the corresponding week a year ago, and 243,841 containers and trailers, up 10.7%.
North American figures, from 10 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, includes 310,890 carloads, down 2.6% from the same week a year ago, and 327,199 intermodal units, up 8.2%. The total of 638,089 carloads and intermodal units represents a 2.7% increase. The year-to-date traffic, through 22 weeks, is up 2% compared to a year ago. That includes a 0.7% increase in Canada and an 11.6% gain in Mexico.
Neat picture of the UP’s Chicago & Northwestern “Heritage” locomotive (SD-70ace??) on the point of this train in the photo. It was on display at the Illinois Railway Museum on May 18th for the Chicago & NW Historical Society Annual convention.
Neat to see and special thanks to the Union Pacific in making available for this event! I know a number of C&NW fans really enjoyed seeing it ……
I’d like to see UP do a few more units, for some of the railroads owned by those merged in the 80’s and 90’s like the Cotton Belt, the Texas & Pacific and the Chicago and Eastern Illinois for example, or any of the other railroads in the Union Pacific tree…