In reporting weekly U.S. rail traffic, as well as volumes for June 2015 and the first six months of 2015, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) revealed on July 1, 2015 that U.S. carload traffic in June dropped 7.7%, while intermodal saw its highest numbers in history at 1,117,149 containers and trailers, a gain of nearly 4% for the month.
U.S. carload traffic for June 2015 totaled 1,087,066 carloads, down 7.7% or 91,016 carloads from June 2014. U.S. railroads originated 1,11,149 containers and trailers in June 2015, up 3.7% or 39,797 units from the same month last year. For June 2015, combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations were 2,204,215, down 2.3% or 51,219 carloads and intermodal units from June 2014.
In June 2015, six of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with June 2014. This include motor vehicles and parts, up 4.&% or 3,379 carloads; grain, up 3% or 2,208 carloads; and coke, up 7.1% or 1,089 carloads. Commodities that saw declines in June 2014 from June 2014 included coal, down 17.4% or 76,752 carloads; primary metal products, down 13.9% or 6,160 carloads; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 7.3% or 4,373 carloads.
Excluding coal, carloads were down 1.9% or 14,264 in June 2015 from June 2014.
Total U.S. carload traffic for the first six months of 2015 was 6,930,568 carloads, down 3.8% or 271, 831 carloads, while intermodal containers and trailers were 6,605,029 units, up 2.3% or 149,442 containers and trailers when compared to the same period in 2014. For the first six months of 2015, total rail traffic volume in the United States was 13,535,597 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.9% or 122,389 carloads and intermodal units from the same point last year.
“Recent declines in rail carload traffic, especially coal, shouldn’t detract from the tremendous improvements we’ve been seeing in intermodal,” said AAR Senior Vice President Policy and Economics John T. Gray. “The growth in rail intermodal units is one of America’s best transportation-related success stories. June 2015 was the highest-volume rail intermodal month in history for the U.S. railroads, and 2015 will almost certainly set another annual record, breaking the record set last year.”
For the week ending June 27, 2015, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 547,969 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.8% compared with the same week last year, as carload traffic dipped and intermodal grew.
Total U.S. carloads for the week were 272,405, down 8.9% compared with the same week in 2014, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 275,564 containers and trailers, up 4.1% compared to 2014.
Two of the 10 carload commodity groups posted increases compared with the same week in 2014. They are: grain, up 5.9% to 19,046 carloads, and motor vehicles and parts, up 2.9% to 18,828. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2014 included: coal, down 19.2% to 90,654 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 13.4% to 13,759 carloads; and metallic ores and metals, down 7.5% to 26,296 carloads.
North American rail volume for the week ending June 27, 2015 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 370,251 carloads, down 7.3% compared with the same week last year, and 346,709 intermodal units, up 3.9% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America, was 716,960 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.2%. North American rail volume for the first 25 weeks of 2015 was 17,667,389 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.1% compared with 2014.
Canadian railroads reported 80,388 carloads for the week, down 3.8%, and 60,009 intermodal units, up 2.2% compared with the same week in 2014. For the first 25 weeks of 2015, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,459,551 carloads, containers and trailers, up 2.5%.
Mexican railroads reported 17,458 carloads for the week, up 3% compared with the same week last year, and 11,136 intermodal units, up 9.6%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 25 weeks of 2015 was 672,241 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.9% from the same point last year.