For the week ending Sept. 18, 2021, U.S. Class I railroads hauled 234,790 carloads, up 3.5% from the same point last year, but the 270,832 intermodal containers and trailers they moved fell 8.3% from 2020, the Association of American Railroads reported on Sept. 22.
While U.S. carloads were up 4.1% in August 2021, the 3.3% fall-off in intermodal volume kept combined traffic virtually flat with the prior-year period, as railroads navigated “chassis and container shortages at ports; shortages of drayage truck drivers; port congestion; insufficient warehouse capacity at many locations; and now, weather problems in the Gulf,” AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray reported on Sept. 1.
For the week ending Aug. 21, 2021, total U.S. rail traffic came in at 501,273 carloads and intermodal units, falling 2.6% from the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on Aug. 25.
Total U.S. weekly rail traffic for the week ending Aug. 7, 2021 was 509,607 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4% from the same point last year, as intermodal losses offset carload gains, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on Aug. 11.
While U.S. rail traffic in July 2021 was up from July 2020, the percentage increase was “significantly lower” than in other recent months, AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray reported on Aug. 4.
For the week ending July 24, 2021, total U.S. rail traffic came in at 503,219 carloads and intermodal units, growing 4.6% from the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on July 28.
Total U.S. weekly rail traffic for the week ending July 17, 2021, reached 513,255 carloads and intermodal units, a 6.6% boost from the prior-year period, according to a July 21 Association of American Railroads (AAR) report.
For the week ending Feb. 20, total U.S. rail traffic of 377,904 carloads and containers fell 21.7% vs. the same week last year, reported the Association of American Railroads on Feb. 24.
Over the next few days and then amplified by mid-month investor reporting, we will learn more about how U.S. rail freight is trending. Association of American Railroads six-month data is out. In the interim, Susquehanna Financial Group (SFG) data scientists have circulated their freight market view. As well, we’ve added some FreightWaves SONAR intermodal data to the mix.
It’s third-quarter 2019 railroad financial results reporting time, and sometimes, insight about rail freight markets comes from strange places. One of those might just be the quarterly report by J.B. Hunt (JBHT). The Hunt logistics company is one of the largest U.S. intermodal rail organizers. It essentially buys contracted intermodal train service from railroad companies like BNSF and Norfolk Southern.
