(The Association of American Railroads posted the following on its website on May 3.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Both carload and intermodal freight on U.S. railroads were down from last year during April, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
U.S. railroads originated 1,324,502 carloads of freight in April 2007, down 29,861 carloads (2.2 percent) from April 2006. A total of 908,139 intermodal units were originated in April 2007, a decline of 40,110 trailers and containers (4.2 percent) over April 2006.
Seven of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw U.S. carload increases in April 2007 compared to April 2006.
Commodities showing carload gains in April 2007 included chemicals (up 2,984 carloads, or 2.5 percent, to 123,038 carloads) and petroleum products (up 2,004 carloads, or 8.4 percent, to 26,003 carloads).
Commodities showing carload decreases in April 2007 included crushed stone, sand, and gravel (down 7,270 carloads, or 7.5 percent, to 89,351 carloads); grain (down 6,279 carloads, or 6.9 percent, to 84,120 carloads); and metals and metal products (down 4,770 carloads, or 8.1 percent, to 54,111 carloads). Carloads of coal fell 2,499 carloads (0.5 percent) to 551,002 carloads.
For the first four months of 2007, total U.S. rail carloads were down 241,380 carloads (4.2 percent) to 5,450,378 carloads, with the biggest declines coming in motor vehicles and equipment (down 44,135 carloads, or 11.4 percent); crushed stone, sand, and gravel (down 43,803 carloads, or 11.6 percent); and grain (down 29,536 carloads, or 7.5 percent).
“A few days ago, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported preliminary first quarter GDP growth of 1.3 percent,” noted AAR Vice President Craig F. Rockey. “That tepid level of growth is generally consistent with what we’re seeing in many rail commodity groups. The big questions right now are how long the difficulties in the housing and other sectors will continue and to what extent consumer spending will offset future weak activity.”
U.S. intermodal traffic, which consists of trailers and containers on flat cars and is not included in carload figures, was down 35,502 trailers and containers (0.9 percent) for the first four months of 2007 to 3,847,178 units.
Total volume through the first four months was estimated at 554.4 billion ton-miles, down 2.9 percent from last year.
Canadian rail carload traffic was up 993 carloads (0.3 percent) in April 2007 to 322,613 carloads, but down 26,259 carloads (2.0 percent) for the year to date to 1,304,402 carloads. In April, carload gains for chemicals (up 6,189 carloads, or 10.9 percent) and coal (up 3,933 carloads, or 13.0 percent), among others, offset declines in carloads of lumber of wood products (down 2,936 carloads, or 14.3 percent); metallic ores (down 2,632 carloads, or 4.9 percent); and farm products excluding grain (down 2,012 carloads, or 19.2 percent), among others.
Canadian intermodal traffic was up 3,415 units (1.8 percent) in April 2007 compared with April 2006 to 189,938 units, and up 10,388 units (1.4 percent) for the first four months of 2007 to 757,944 units.
Carloads carried on Kansas City Southern dé Mexico (formerly Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana – TFM), a major Mexican railroad, were down 971 carloads (2.2 percent) in April 2007 to 43,922 carloads, while intermodal units carried totaled 16,461 units, up 2,660 units (19.3 percent). For the year-to-date, KCSM carloads carried were down 4.7 percent (9,120 carloads) to 183,658 carloads, while intermodal units carried were up 11.1 percent (7,082 units) to 70,624 trailers and containers.
For just the week ended April 28, the AAR reported the following totals for U.S. railroads: 334,701 carloads, down 1.7 percent (5,952 carloads) from the corresponding week in 2006, with loadings down 3.4 percent in the East and down 0.4 percent in the West; intermodal volume of 234,602 trailers and containers, down 5.6 percent (13,913 units) from last year; and total volume of an estimated 34.0 billion ton-miles, down 0.6 percent from the equivalent week last year.
For Canadian railroads during the week ended April 28, the AAR reported volume of 81,893 carloads, down 1.4 percent from last year; and 47,576 trailers and containers, down 1.5 percent from the corresponding week in 2006.
Combined cumulative rail volume for the first 17 weeks of 2007 on 13 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 6,754,780 carloads, down 3.8 percent (267,639 carloads) from last year, and 4,605,122 trailers and containers, down 0.5 percent (25,114 units) from 2006’s first 17 weeks.