The Association of American Railroads (AAR) on July 6th reported weekly U.S. rail traffic, as well as volumes for June 2016.
Carload traffic in June totaled 1,245,025 carloads, down 7% or 93,687 from June 2015. U.S. railroads also originated 1,295,240 containers and trailers in June 2016, down 5.6% or 76,920 units from the same month last year. For June 2016, combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations were 2,540,265, down 6.3% or 170,607 carloads and intermodal units from June 2015.
In June 2016, six of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with June 2015. These included: grain, up 13.8% or 12,982 carloads; miscellaneous carloads, up 17% or 4,569 carloads; and waste and nonferrous scrap, up 16.4% or 2,907 carloads. Commodities that saw declines in June 2016 from June 2015 included: coal, down 16.4% or 73,194 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 22.2% or 15,415 carloads; and crushed stone, gravel and sand, down 6.6% or 7,727 carloads.
Excluding coal, carloads were down 2.3% or 20,493 carloads in June 2016 from June 2015.
Total U.S. carload traffic for the first 26 weeks of 2016 was 6,295,216 carloads, down 12.3% or 886,579 carloads, while intermodal containers and trailers were 6,713,003 units, down 2.1% or 147,056 containers and trailers when compared to the same period in 2015. For the first six months of 2016, total rail traffic volume in the United States was 13,008,219 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.4% or 1,033,635 carloads and intermodal units from the same point last year.
"Rail traffic remains relatively weak, with slightly better coal volumes in June offset by continued weakness in intermodal caused in part by an inventory overhang and global economic uncertainty," said AAR Senior Vice President of Policy and Economics John T. Gray. "Because current economic indicators are presenting a mixed picture, it's not clear if railroads should be pessimistic or cautiously optimistic about the near- to medium term."
For the Week Ending July 2, 2016, AAR reports total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 529,191 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.4% compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending Jul. 2 were 264,015 carloads, up 4.9% compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 265,176 containers and trailers, up 4% compared to 2015. Please note: The July 4 holiday is not included in Week 26 data for 2016, but is included in Week 26 data of 2015. Therefore, Week 26 data for 2016 is somewhat overstated compared to Week 26 of 2015.
Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. They included miscellaneous carloads, up 30.9% to 10,824 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, up 29% to 18,742 carloads; and grain, up 26.4% to 23,248 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 were petroleum and petroleum products, down 18.2% to 11,186 carloads; coal, down 4.8% to 79,354 carloads; and forest products, down 0.3% to 11,019 carloads.
North American rail volume for the week ending Jul. 2, 2016, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 350,358 carloads, up 2.8% compared with the same week last year, and 333,729 intermodal units, up 2.6% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 684,087 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.7%. North American rail volume for the first 26 weeks of 2016 was 17,033,080 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.1% compared with 2015.
Canadian railroads reported 68,940 carloads for the week, down 6.3%, and 57,454 intermodal units, down 3.8% compared with the same week in 2015. For the first 26 weeks of 2016, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,317,333 carloads, containers and trailers, down 7.7%.
Mexican railroads reported 17,403 carloads for the week, up 12.6% compared with the same week last year, and 11,099 intermodal units, up 6.1%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 26 weeks of 2016 was 707,528 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 0.1% from the same point last year.