For the month of November 2015, total U.S. carload traffic was 1,041,605, down 10.4% or 120,259 carloads from November 2014, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on Dec. 2, 2015.
U.S. railroads also originated 1,024,162 containers and trailers in November 2015, down 1%or 10,828 units from the same month last year. For November 2015, combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations were 2,065,767, down 6% or 131,087 carloads and intermodal units from November 2014.
In November 2015, six of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with November 2014. This included: miscellaneous carloads, up 32.9% or 5,515 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, up 4.7% or 3,142 carloads; and non-metallic minerals, up 6.9% or 1,143 carloads. Commodities that saw declines in November 2015 from November 2014 included: coal, down 17.6 % or 78,798 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 20.1% or 12,570 carloads; and metallic ores, down 31.7% or 10,056 carloads.
Excluding coal, carloads were down 5.8% or 41,461 carloads in November 2015 from November 2014.
Total U.S. carload traffic for the first eleven months of 2015 was 13,046,761 carloads, down 5.1% or 699,664 carloads, while intermodal containers and trailers were 12,530,739 units, up 1.8% or 223,272 containers and trailers when compared to the same period in 2014. For the first eleven months of 2015, total rail traffic volume in the United States was 25,577,500 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.8% or 476,392 carloads and intermodal units from the same point last year.
"The decline in rail carload traffic in November 2015 was broad based, reflecting manufacturing slowdowns, energy prices and policy, and the constraint of a strong dollar. Even intermodal was down in November, largely due to reduced international traffic," said AAR Senior Vice President of Policy and Economics John T. Gray. "Railroads are well positioned to serve their customers safely and reliably, but the economy has to cooperate. We're hopeful that will happen soon."
Total U.S. weekly rail traffic for the week ending Nov. 28, 2015 was 450,389 carloads and intermodal units, down 8.6% compared with the same week last year. For the week there were 230,919 carloads, down 15.1% compared with the same week in 2014, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 219,470 containers and trailers, down 0.6% compared to 2014.
Two of the 10 carload commodity groups posted increases compared with the same week in 2014. They included: miscellaneous carloads, up 21.4% to 6,917 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, up 3.3% to 15,077. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2014 included: metallic ores and metals, down 31.9% to 16,806 carloads; coal, down 23% to 86,194 carloads; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 17.9% to 11,909 carloads.
North American rail volume for the week ending Nov. 28, 2015 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 319,932 carloads, down 12.9% compared with the same week last year, and 290,076 intermodal units, up 0.9% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America, was 610,008 carloads and intermodal units, down 6.8%. North American rail volume for the first 47 weeks of 2015 was 33,318,904 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.5% compared with 2014.
Canadian railroads reported 72,465 carloads for the week, down 8.1%, and 58,555 intermodal units, up 5.5% compared with the same week in 2014. For the first 47 weeks of 2015, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,459,394 carloads, containers and trailers, a decrease of 1% compared to last year.
Mexican railroads reported 16,548 carloads for the week, down 0.4% compared with the same week last year, and 12,051 intermodal units, up 9.2%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 47 weeks of 2015 was 1,282,010 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.6% from the same point last year.