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Rail News: Rail Industry Trends
1/30/2009
Rail News: Rail Industry Trends
AAR: Week No. 3 traffic as weak as Nos. 1 and 2
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Three weeks into 2009, North American railroads’ traffic fortunes hadn’t changed.
During the week ending Jan. 24, U.S. railroads originated 267,634 carloads, down 14.6 percent, and 195,182 intermodal loads, down 7.1 percent compared with traffic from 2008’s third week, according to Association of American Railroads data. Eighteen of 19 carload commodity groups registered declines.
Through the year’s first three weeks, U.S. railroads originated 806,168 carloads, down 16.8 percent, and 598,402 containers and trailers, down 11.9 percent compared with totals from the same 2008 period. Volume totaled an estimated 85.5 billion ton-miles, representing a 15.5 percent decline.
For Canadian railroads, their weekly carload volume dropped 13.9 percent to 63,844 units and intermodal volume decreased 12.3 percent to 41,284 units. Through three weeks, their carloads plummeted 20.9 percent to 178,890 units and intermodal volume fell 14.2 percent to 126,217 units vs. totals from the same 2008 period.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s two largest railroads reported weekly carload volume of 11,205 units, down 0.2 percent, and intermodal volume of 4,908 units, down 6.1 percent. Through three weeks, their carloads declined 9.5 percent to 30,799 units and intermodal volume dropped 12.8 percent to 13,732 units vs. last year.
On a combined North American-volume basis through three weeks, 14 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads originated 1 million carloads, down 17.3 percent, and 738,351 containers and trailers, down 12.3 percent year over year.
During the week ending Jan. 24, U.S. railroads originated 267,634 carloads, down 14.6 percent, and 195,182 intermodal loads, down 7.1 percent compared with traffic from 2008’s third week, according to Association of American Railroads data. Eighteen of 19 carload commodity groups registered declines.
Through the year’s first three weeks, U.S. railroads originated 806,168 carloads, down 16.8 percent, and 598,402 containers and trailers, down 11.9 percent compared with totals from the same 2008 period. Volume totaled an estimated 85.5 billion ton-miles, representing a 15.5 percent decline.
For Canadian railroads, their weekly carload volume dropped 13.9 percent to 63,844 units and intermodal volume decreased 12.3 percent to 41,284 units. Through three weeks, their carloads plummeted 20.9 percent to 178,890 units and intermodal volume fell 14.2 percent to 126,217 units vs. totals from the same 2008 period.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s two largest railroads reported weekly carload volume of 11,205 units, down 0.2 percent, and intermodal volume of 4,908 units, down 6.1 percent. Through three weeks, their carloads declined 9.5 percent to 30,799 units and intermodal volume dropped 12.8 percent to 13,732 units vs. last year.
On a combined North American-volume basis through three weeks, 14 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads originated 1 million carloads, down 17.3 percent, and 738,351 containers and trailers, down 12.3 percent year over year.
