Rail Traffic’s Recovery Process Takes Step Back
Written by Andrew Corselli
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ended July 11, 2020, and, for this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 449,092 carloads and intermodal units, down 14.9% compared with the same week last year.
The recovery process we’ve recently been seeing wasn’t evident this week, as total carloads were 201,703 carloads, down 22.7% compared with the same week in 2019, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume—last week’s darling—was 247,389 containers and trailers, down 7.4% compared to 2019.
None of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2019. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2019 included commodities such as coal, down 29,221 carloads, to 51,684; metallic ores and metals, down 9,890 carloads, to 13,884; and nonmetallic minerals, down 6,365 carloads, to 30,317.
For the first 28 weeks of 2020, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 5,902,483 carloads, down 16.1% from the same point last year; and 6,684,174 intermodal units, down 9.9% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 28 weeks of 2020 was 12,586,657 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 12.9% compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ended July 11, 2020, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 289,808 carloads, down 20.4% compared with the same week last year, and 329,191 intermodal units, down 7.8% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 618,999 carloads and intermodal units, down 14.2%. North American rail volume for the first 28 weeks of 2020 was 17,395,055 carloads and intermodal units, down 11.8% compared with 2019.
Canadian railroads reported 68,300 carloads for the week, down 16.5%, and 65,797 intermodal units, down 8% compared with the same week in 2019. For the first 28 weeks of 2020, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,865,702 carloads, containers and trailers, down 8.5%.
Mexican railroads reported 19,805 carloads for the week, down 7.2% compared with the same week last year, and 16,005 intermodal units, down 13.3%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 28 weeks of 2020 was 942,696 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 10.8% from the same point last year.
