(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on May 8.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. railroads reported mixed results in April, with carload freight up and intermodal traffic down, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
A total of 1,668,255 carloads of freight were originated during the month, up 14,883 carloads (0.9 percent) from April 2007. U.S. railroads also originated 1,117,511 intermodal units in April 2008, a decline of 24,323 trailers and containers (2.1 percent) from April 2007.
Seven of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw U.S. carload increases in April 2008 compared to April 2007.
Commodities showing carload gains in April 2008 included coal (up 36,530 carloads, or 5.3 percent, to 721,973 carloads), grain (up 21,333 carloads, or 20.6 percent, to 125,124 carloads), and chemicals (up 4,417 carloads, or 2.9 percent, to 158,060 carloads).
“The Bureau of Economic Analysis recently reported preliminary first quarter 2008 GDP growth was 0.6 percent. That’s pretty low, of course, but it actually exceeded what some economists were predicting,” noted AAR Senior Vice President John Gray. “The fact that rail carload traffic was up in April is another indication that our economic situation, while still difficult, might not be as dire as some had thought.”
Commodities showing carload decreases in April 2008 included motor vehicles and equipment (down 21,092 carloads, or 19.5 percent, to 87,326 carloads); coke (down 10,518 carloads, or 35.7 percent, to 18,976 carloads); and crushed stone, sand, and gravel (down 6,805 carloads, or 6.0 percent, to 106,347 carloads).
For the first four months of 2008, total U.S. rail carloads were up 61,639 carloads (1.1 percent) to 5,841,221 carloads, with the biggest gains coming in coal (up 113,026 carloads, or 4.6 percent), grain (up 69,595 carloads, or 18.2 percent), and chemicals (up 14,921 carloads, or 2.7 percent). Strong export demand is a major reason for the growth in grain and coal carloadings so far in 2008.
U.S. intermodal traffic, which consists of trailers and containers on flat cars and is not included in carload figures, was down 144,267 trailers and containers (3.5 percent) for the first four months of 2008 to 3,936,606 units.
Total volume for the January-April period was estimated at 604.4 billion ton-miles, up 2.3 percent from 2007’s first four months.
Canadian rail carload traffic was down 25,318 carloads (6.2 percent) in April 2008 to 381,031 carloads, and down 49,812 carloads (3.6 percent) for the year to date to 1,332,030 carloads. Commodities showing carload declines in April for Canadian railroads included motor vehicles and equipment (down 7,625 carloads, or 21.7 percent) and lumber and wood products (down 6,789 carloads, or 30.9 percent).
Canadian intermodal traffic was up 8,378 units (3.5 percent) in April 2008 compared with April 2007 to 246,564 units, and up 35,114 units (4.4 percent) for the first four months of 2008 to 840,488 units.
Carloads carried on Kansas City Southern dé Mexico, a major Mexican railroad, were down 785 carloads (1.5 percent) in April 2008 to 52,893 carloads, while intermodal units carried totaled 25,058 units, up 4,247 units (20.4 percent). For the year-to-date, KCSM carloads carried were down 3.7 percent (7,100 carloads) to 186,314 carloads, while intermodal units carried were up 13.4 percent (10,025 units) to 84,999 trailers and containers.
For just the week ended May 3, the AAR reported the following totals for U.S. railroads: 335,761 carloads, up 2.1 percent (6,984 carloads) from the corresponding week in 2007, with loadings down 3.6 percent in the East and up 6.7 percent in the West; intermodal volume of 225,059 trailers and containers, down 3.7 percent (8,636 units) from last year; and total volume of an estimated 34.8 billion ton-miles, up 3.6 percent from the equivalent week last year.
For Canadian railroads during the week ended May 3, the AAR reported volume of 73,653 carloads, down 11.9 percent from last year; and 50,145 trailers and containers, up 3.5 percent from the corresponding week in 2007.
Combined cumulative rail volume for the first 18 weeks of 2008 on 12 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 7,173,251 carloads, up 0.2 percent (11,827 carloads) from last year, and 4,777,094 trailers and containers, down 2.2 percent (109,153 units) from 2007’s first 18 weeks.