July traffic following June’s tracks

Though still very early, it appears that July is no salvation for rail freight traffic’s June swoon.

According to U.S. rail traffic figures released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) for the week ended July 6, 2019, total U.S. weekly rail traffic—still clearly in the “doldrums”—was 448,459 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.5% compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week were 220,759 carloads, down 8.2% compared with the same week in 2018, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 227,700 containers and trailers, down 6.9% compared to 2018.

Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2018. They were grain, up 2,358 carloads, to 23,651; petroleum and petroleum products, up 2,083 carloads, to 12,347; and miscellaneous carloads, up 517 carloads, to 8,520. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2018 included commodities such as coal, down 16,575 carloads, to 59,905; nonmetallic minerals, down 3,593 carloads, to 31,655; and metallic ores and metals, down 1,510 carloads, to 20,578.

For the first 27 weeks of 2019, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 6,772,977 carloads, down 3.1% from the same point last year; and 7,151,961 intermodal units, down 3.3% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 27 weeks of 2019 was 13,924,938 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 3.2% compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending July 6, 2019, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 319,972 carloads, down 5.3% compared with the same week last year, and 311,651 intermodal units, down 4.8% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 631,623 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.1%. North American rail volume for the first 27 weeks of 2019 was 18,992,863 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.1% compared with 2018.

Canadian railroads reported 77,571 carloads for the week, down 0.2%, and 66,783 intermodal units, up 3.5% compared with the same week in 2018. For the first 27 weeks of 2019, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,066,016 carloads, containers and trailers, up 2.1%.

Mexican railroads reported 21,642 carloads for the week, up 9.2% compared with the same week last year, and 17,168 intermodal units, down 4.8%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 27 weeks of 2019 was 1,001,909 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 3.5% from the same point last year.