AAR: Intermodal Gain Tamps Down Carload Loss, Again

Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
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U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Oct. 17, 2020, largely mirrored the previous week’s figures, with a significant intermodal gain surpassing a carload decline, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on Oct. 21. Year-to-date figures largely confirm that intermodal has held up relatively well in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, compared to carload volume.

Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 518,763 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.2% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads were 226,828 carloads, down 7.5% compared with the same week in 2019, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 291,935 containers and trailers, up 11.3% compared to 2019.

Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2019. They included grain, up 4,920 carloads, to 25,547; miscellaneous carloads, up 1,223 carloads, to 10,411; and motor vehicles and parts, up 884 carloads, to 15,636. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2019 included coal, down 15,084 carloads, to 59,979; nonmetallic minerals, down 4,932 carloads, to 31,058; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 2,429 carloads, to 10,293.

For the first 42 weeks of 2020, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 9,025,595 carloads, down 14.9% from the same point last year; and 10,615,783 intermodal units, down 5.1% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 42 weeks of 2020 was 19,641,378 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 9.8% compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 326,552 carloads, down 5% compared with the same week last year, and 385,001 intermodal units, up 10% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 711,553 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.6%. North American rail volume for the first 42 weeks of 2020 was 27,032,285 carloads and intermodal units, down 9.2% compared with 2019.

Canadian railroads reported 80,201 carloads for the week, up 2.3%, and 78,094 intermodal units, up 14.4% compared with the same week in 2019. For the first 42 weeks of 2020, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,949,096 carloads, containers and trailers, down 6.7%.

Mexican railroads reported 19,523 carloads for the week, down 3.8% compared with the same week last year, and 14,972 intermodal units, down 22.6%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 42 weeks of 2020 was 1,441,811 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 10.8% from the same point last year.

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