Rail Traffic Needs a Holiday Miracle

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ended Dec. 14, 2019, and, for this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 520,589 carloads and intermodal units, down 8.5% compared with the same week last year.

In a struggle that has become commonplace this year, total carloads for this week were 243,290 carloads, down 9% compared with the same week in 2018, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 277,299 containers and trailers, down 8% compared to 2018.

Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2018. They were motor vehicles and parts, up 760 carloads, to 18,061; miscellaneous carloads, up 208 carloads, to 10,435; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 93 carloads, to 13,643. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2018 included commodities such as coal, down 18,747 carloads, to 72,320; grain, down 1,884 carloads, to 20,709; and metallic ores and metals, down 1,287 carloads, to 22,633.

For the first 50 weeks of 2019, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 12,535,766 carloads, down 4.7% from the same point last year; and 13,287,891 intermodal units, down 5% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 50 weeks of 2019 was 25,823,657 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 4.8% compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ended Dec. 14, 2019, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 344,439 carloads, down 7.7% compared with the same week last year, and 365,323 intermodal units, down 7.1% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 709,762 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.4%. North American rail volume for the first 50 weeks of 2019 was 35,264,477 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.8% compared with 2018.

Canadian railroads reported 81,556 carloads for the week, down 3.7%, and 69,669 intermodal units, down 4.2% compared with the same week in 2018. For the first 50 weeks of 2019, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 7,552,348 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.4%.

Mexican railroads reported 19,593 carloads for the week, down 7.6% compared with the same week last year, and 18,355 intermodal units, down 4.9%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 50 weeks of 2019 was 1,888,472 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 2.9% from the same point last year.