(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on January 9.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. rail traffic rose 1.6 percent (24,255 carloads) in December and 1.1 percent (46,364 carloads) in the fourth quarter of 2003 compared to the same period in 2002, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today. For the full year 2003, U.S. rail carloadings were up 0.1 percent (9,505 carloads) to 16.934 million carloads.
U.S. intermodal traffic, which consists of truck trailers and containers on freight cars and is not included in carload figures, rose 8.5 percent (69,377 units) in December, 12.0 percent (277,356 units) in the fourth quarter, and 6.8 percent (631,002 units) for 2003 as a whole. Total U.S. intermodal traffic of 9.94 million trailers and containers marked a new record high, the seventh time in eight years that has happened.
“2003 was a very challenging year for industries across the economic spectrum, including freight railroads,” observed AAR vice president Craig F. Rockey. “The new intermodal record is, in large part, a reflection of the tens of billions of dollars in intermodal-related infrastructure and equipment investments railroads have made to accommodate faster, more frequent, and more reliable intermodal trains. We are also obviously pleased by the trend in carload traffic. The 1.1 percent gain in fourth quarter carloadings, and an even greater increase during the final month, come after quarterly declines in the second and third quarters of this year. We look forward to continued traffic expansion as the economy continues to adjust.”
U.S. rail carloadings in December 2003 were paced by crushed stone and gravel (up 20.6 percent, or 13,659 carloads), grain (up 10.7 percent, or 10,930 carloads), waste and scrap materials (up 16.6 percent, or 6,153 carloads), and coke (up 27.8 percent, or 5,767 carloads). Commodities showing carload declines in December 2003 included metallic ores (down 25.4 percent, or 20,893 carloads) and coal (down 1.1 percent, or 7,238 carloads). All told, 12 of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw carload increases in December 2003 compared with December 2002.
For the fourth quarter of 2003, U.S. freight rail carload gains in crushed stone and gravel (up 12.3 percent, or 28,047 carloads), grain (up 6.4 percent, or 18,751 carloads), and coke (up 34.0 percent, or 18,322 carloads), among others, offset declines in metallic ores (down 20.3 percent, or 42,911 carloads) and coal (down 1.7 percent, or 28,929 carloads). All told, 14 of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw carload increases in the fourth quarter of 2003 compared with the fourth quarter of 2002.
For the full year 2003, gains in carloads of coke, waste and scrap, and chemicals, among others, overcame a significant decline in coal carloadings (down 1.6 percent, or 110,747 carloads.
Canadian rail carloads were up 14.9 percent (39,724 carloads) in December, up 9.8 percent (78,473 carloads) in the fourth quarter, and up 1.5 percent (49,811 carloads) in 2003 compared with 2002. Commodities showing year-over-year carload gains for Canadian railroads in 2003 include chemicals (up 4.5 percent, or 31,100 carloads), farm products excluding grain (up 23.3 percent, or 16,415 carloads), and grain (up 3.8 percent, or 14,448 carloads). The gains in agricultural commodities reflect a much better harvest in 2003 compared with 2002. Commodities showing carload declines for Canadian railroads in 2003 include motor vehicles and equipment (down 4.0 percent, or 16,057 carloads) and coal (down 3.4 percent, or 13,867 carloads).
Canadian intermodal traffic was down 4.0 percent (7,485 trailers and containers) in December, down 0.1 percent (536 trailers and containers) in the fourth quarter, and up 5.3 percent (109,245 trailers and containers) for the full year 2003 compared with 2002.
Carloads originated on Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM), a major Mexican railroad, were down 5.6 percent (2,245 carloads) in December, while intermodal originations were down 8.9 percent (1,196 trailers and containers). For the full year 2003, TFM carload originations were down 2.8 percent (12,458 carloads), while TFM intermodal traffic was up 10.9 percent (17,486 units).
For just the week ended January 3, 2004, U.S. railroads originated 280,407 carloads, up 2.9 percent from the corresponding week 52 weeks earlier (which was the first week of 2003); intermodal volume of 140,079 trailers and containers, up 10.5 percent; and total volume of an estimated 23.6 billion ton-miles, up 5.8 percent. Canadian railroads originated 50,654 carloads, up 13.4 percent, and 27,214 trailers and containers, down 4.3 percent, from the corresponding week 52 weeks earlier.
Combined cumulative volume for 52 weeks of 2003 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 20,207,480 carloads, up 0.3 percent (59,316 carloads) from 2002; and 12,107,578 trailers and containers, up 6.5 percent (740,247 units) from 2002.
Note: The week ended January 3 was the 53rd reporting week for 2003. In order to provide statistical comparability with other years, week 53 data will not be included in AAR’s annual data for 2003.