In reporting weekly U.S. rail traffic, as well as volumes for May 2015 and the first five months of 2015, the Association of American Railroads revealed that U.S. carload traffic in May dropped nearly 10%, while intermodal continued to beat last year’s numbers, with a gain of nearly 4% for the month.
U.S. carload traffic for May 2015 totaled 1,074,285 carloads, down 9.4% or 111,539 carloads from May 2014. U.S. railroads originated 1,085,968 containers and trailers in May 2015, up 3.8% or 40,057 units from the same month last year. “This is the first month on record that container and trailer traffic exceeded carloads,” AAR noted. For May 2015, combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations were 2,160,253, down 3.2% or 71,482 carloads and intermodal units from May 2014.
In May 2015, five of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw carload gains compared with May 2014. This included motor vehicles and parts, up 4.5% or 3,207 carloads; waste and nonferrous scrap, up 3.8% or 519 carloads; and grain mill products, up 1.3% or 480 carloads. Commodities that saw declines in May 2015 from May 2014 included coal, down 17.4% or 77,992 carloads; primary metal products, down 17.9% or 8,058 carloads; and grain, down 6.2% or 5,027 carloads.
Excluding coal, carloads were down 4.5% or 33,547 carloads in May 2015 from May 2014. When both coal and grain are excluded, U.S. carloads were down 4.3% or 28,520 carloads, compared to the prior-year month.
Total U.S. carload traffic for the first five months of 2015 was 5,844,411 carloads, down 3% or 179,906 carloads, while intermodal containers and trailers registered 5,487,880 units, up 2% or 109,645 containers and trailers when compared to the same period in 2014. For the first five months of 2015, total U.S. rail traffic volume was 11,332,291 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.6% or 70,261 carloads and intermodal units from the same point last year.
“Mixed signals is a good term to use to describe the economy nowadays, and it applies to rail traffic too. Intermodal is on its way to another record-breaking year, but carload traffic is not doing well,” said AAR Senior Vice President Policy and Economics John T. Gray. “The degree to which coal carloads have fallen has been a surprise, and the relative weakness in other carload categories is a sign that the economy is probably not yet in bounce-back mode after a dismal first quarter.”
Total U.S. weekly rail traffic for the week ending May 30, 2015 was 505,543 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.9% compared with the same week last year. For the week there were 258,373 carloads, down 10.7% compared with the same week in 2014, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 247,170 containers and trailers, up 2.1% compared to 2014.
Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted increases compared with the same week in 2014. They were: miscellaneous carloads, up 6.1% to 7,610 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, up 5.3% to 17,140; and farm products and food, up 4.2% to 16,108. Commodity groups that saw decreases during this one week included coal, down 21.8% to 88,025 carloads; metallic ores and metals, down 12.9% to 24,020 carloads; and forest products, down 8.1% to 10,858 carloads.
North American rail volume for the week ending May 30, 2015 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 350,395 carloads, down 11.2% compared with the same week last year, and 322,970 intermodal units, up 3.4% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 673,365 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.8%. North American rail volume for the first 21 weeks of 2015 was 14,795,666 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.4% compared with 2014.
Canadian railroads reported 75,173 carloads for the week, down 15.2%, and 63,598 intermodal units, up 6.7% compared with the same week in 2014. For the first 21 weeks of 2015, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,903,993 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 3.8%.
Mexican railroads reported 16,849 carloads for the week, up 0.7% compared with the same week last year, and 12,202 intermodal units, up 13.8%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 21 weeks of 2015 was 559,382 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.9% from the same point last year.