(The Association of American Railroads issued the following on March 6.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Carload freight traffic on U.S. railroads was up from a year ago but intermodal volume was down during February, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
U.S. railroads originated 1,297,763 carloads of freight in February 2008, up 34,347 carloads (2.7 percent) from February 2007. U.S. railroads also originated 893,951 intermodal units in February 2008, a decrease of 31,007 trailers and containers (3.4 percent) from February 2007.
Ten of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw U.S. carload increases in February 2008 compared to February 2007.
Carload gains in February were paced by coal (up 31,178 carloads, or 5.7 percent, to 576,012 carloads); grain (up 20,051 carloads, or 24.5 percent, to 101,892 carloads); and metallic ores (up 4,739 carloads, or 40.1 percent, to 16,544 carloads). Carloads of chemicals in February were up 2.0 percent (2,402 carloads) to 124,474 carloads.
Commodities showing carload decreases in February 2008 included coke (down 7,659 carloads, or 34.6 percent); crushed stone, sand, and gravel (down 5,060 carloads, or 6.9 percent); and lumber or wood products (down 3,608 carloads, or 19.3 percent).
For the first two months of 2008, total U.S. rail carloads were up 48,223 carloads (1.7 percent) to 2,864,484 carloads. Commodities with the largest carload gains in 2008 through February were coal (up 44,127 carloads, or 3.6 percent); grain (up 36,207 carloads, or 18.8 percent); and chemicals (up 9,809 carloads, or 3.7 percent).
In 2008, part of the increase in carloadings of coal, and decrease in carloadings of coke, is due to the expiration of a “synfuel” tax credit at the end of 2007 that resulted in some carloads that had been classified as coke being reclassified as coal.
“An increase in rail carloadings in February is a welcome bit of good news among a considerable amount of less favorable recent news on the U.S. economic front,” noted AAR Vice President John T. Gray. “Strong export markets are boosting rail coal and grain movements, while continued weakness in the housing sector is negatively affecting rail shipments of lumber and wood, primary forest products, and intermodal, among other categories.”
U.S. intermodal traffic, which consists of trailers and containers on flat cars and is not included in carload figures, was down 68,239 trailers and containers (3.4 percent) for the first two months of 2008 to 1,962,691.
Total volume for the first nine weeks of 2008 was estimated at 296.1 billion ton-miles, up 2.8 percent from the same period last year.
Canadian rail carload traffic was up 11,954 carloads (4.2 percent) in February 2008 to 294,958 carloads, and up 529 carloads (0.1 percent) for the year to date to 655,078 carloads. In February, an increase in carloads of chemicals (up 6,032 carloads, or 11.1 percent) and metallic ores (up 3,622 carloads, or 7.4 percent), among other commodities, more than offset declines in lumber and wood products (down 3,240 carloads, or 23.4 percent) and primary forest products (down 1,247 carloads, or 17.0 percent), among others.
Canadian intermodal traffic was up 12,156 units (7.1 percent) in February 2008 compared with February 2007 to 184,513 units, and up 31,697 units (8.3 percent) for the first two months of 2008 to 411,767 units.
Carloads carried on Kansas City Southern de Mexico, a major Mexican railroad, were down 988 carloads (2.2 percent) in February 2008 to 43,336 carloads, while intermodal units carried totaled 20,341 units, up 3,155 units (18.4 percent). For the year-to-date, KCSM carloads carried were down 1.2 percent (1,128 carloads), while intermodal units carried were up 14.5 percent (5,325 units).
For just the week ended March 1, the AAR reported the following totals for U.S. railroads: 336,805 carloads, up 3.9 percent (12,716 carloads) from the corresponding week in 2007, with loadings down 2.2 percent in the East and up 8.8 percent in the West; intermodal volume of 223,931 trailers and containers, down 5.8 percent (13,728 units); and total volume of an estimated 34.9 billion ton-miles, up 5.4 percent from the equivalent week last year.
For Canadian railroads during the week ended March 1, the AAR reported volume of 75,921 carloads, up 1.8 percent from last year; and 46,942 trailers and containers, up 8.0 percent from the corresponding week in 2007.
Combined cumulative rail volume for the first 9 weeks of 2008 on 12 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 3,519,562 carloads, up 1.4 percent (48,752 carloads) from last year, and 2,374,458 trailers and containers, down 1.5 percent (36,542 units) from 2007’s first 9 weeks.