(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on July 13, 2010.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported that monthly rail carloads for June 2010 were up 10.6 percent compared with last year, but still down 10.2 percent compared with June 2008. According to AAR’s July Rail Time Indicators Report, intermodal traffic in June was up 19.2 percent compared with the same month in 2009, representing the largest year-over-year monthly gain since AAR records begin in 1990.
Compared with pre-recession levels, however, intermodal rail traffic in June was still down 1.4 percent compared with June 2008. In addition, seasonally adjusted AAR data showed month-to-month carloads in June dipped by 1.3 percent from May 2010, while intermodal traffic was also down 1.1 percent from the previous month.
“While June traffic shows signs of an economy that is in better shape than it was a year ago, we still have a long way to go to see rail traffic levels associated with a full recovery,” said AAR Senior Vice President John Gray. “For example, both the Purchasing Managers Index and consumer confidence fell in June.”
Average weekly container volume in June 2010 was the 9th highest since 1990, reflecting a years-long trend of domestic freight converting from truck trailers to containers on rail. Unlike truck trailers, containers can be double stacked, making them more cost-effective and efficient. Railroads also continued to bring freight cars out of storage, putting 3064 cars back into service in June.