(The Association of American Railroads issued the following news release on September 4.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. rail carload traffic fell 1.7 percent (23,356 carloads) while intermodal traffic rose 0.7 percent (5,744 trailers and containers) in August 2003 compared to August 2002, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Metallic ores (down 18.8 percent, or 12,831 carloads) and motor vehicles and equipment (down 11.9 percent, or 12,053 carloads) were responsible for most of the downturn in carloadings in August. Coal was down
1.2 percent (6,337 carloads). Commodities showing carload gains in August included coke (up 46.3 percent, or 6,688 carloads), grain (up 6.1 percent, or 4,897 carloads), and crushed stone and gravel (up 1.2 percent, or 1,097 carloads). Excluding coal (which accounted for 40 percent of total U.S. rail carloadings in August), U.S. carloadings were down 2.1 percent
(17,019 carloads) in August 2003.
For the first eight months of 2003, U.S. rail carloadings totaled 11,294,249 cars, down 0.3 percent (34,347 carloads). During this period, carloads of coke were up 34.8 percent (41,926 carloads), carloads of waste and scrap material were up 4.8 percent (14,963 carloads), and carloads of pulp and paper were up 5.2 percent (14,789 carloads). On the down side, coal dropped 1.5 percent (68,188 carloads), motor vehicles and equipment fell 3.9 percent (32,262 carloads), and grain was down 2.1 percent (15,123 carloads). Excluding coal, U.S. rail carloadings were up 0.5 percent (33,841 carloads) in 2003 through August.
U.S. intermodal traffic was up 5.4 percent (334,397 units) in 2003 through August, totaling 6,563,350 trailers or containers.
Total volume through the first 35 weeks of 2003 was estimated at 995.6 billion ton-miles, up 0.6 percent from last year.
“It is difficult to detect solid evidence from August?s rail carloadings to support or refute what appears to be growing sentiment that the economy, including the manufacturing sector, may finally be on the verge of an upswing,” noted AAR Vice President Craig F. Rockey. “Significant declines in carloadings of metallic ores, motor vehicles, and coal depressed overall carloadings in August. On the other hand, 10 of the 19 commodity categories we track, including chemicals and grain, saw carload increases this month.”
Canadian rail carload traffic was down 4.7 percent (11,729 carloads) in August 2003. Commodities that saw rail carload gains in August included grain (up 20.2 percent, or 5,483 carloads) and farm products excluding grain
(up 32.1 percent, or 1,314 carloads). Commodities seeing declines in Canadian rail carloads in August include motor vehicles and equipment (down 21.9 percent, or 7,402 carloads) and coal (down 21.9 percent, or 6,857 carloads). Canadian intermodal traffic was up 2.0 percent (3,288 units) in August 2003 compared with August 2002.
For the first eight months of 2003, Canadian carload traffic totaled 2,134,674 cars, down 1.5 percent (33,059 carloads), while Canadian intermodal traffic was up 8.3 percent (110,667 units) at 1,447,792 trailers or containers.
Carloads originated on Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM), a major Mexican railroad, were down 10.3 percent (3,676 carloads) in August, while intermodal originations were down 4.0 percent (546 trailers and containers).
For the first eight months of 2003, TFM carloadings were up 0.3 percent (819 carloads), while intermodal traffic was up 22.6 percent (22,591 units).
For just the week ended August 30, the AAR reported the following totals for U.S. railroads: 346,784 carloads, up 0.2 percent from the corresponding week in 2002, with loadings down 3.7 percent in the East and up 3.4 percent in the West; intermodal volume of 203,024 trailers and containers (the highest weekly total so far in 2003), up 0.6 percent; and total volume of an estimated 30.6 billion ton-miles, up 1.7 percent from the equivalent week last year.
For Canadian railroads during the week ended August 30, the AAR reported volume of 62,641 carloads, down 1.0 percent from last year; and 43,880 trailers and containers, up 5.7 percent from the corresponding week in 2002.
Combined cumulative volume for the first 35 weeks of 2003 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 13,428,923 carloads, down 0.5 percent (67,406 carloads) from last year, and 8,011,142 trailers and containers, up 5.9 percent (445,064 units) from 2002’s first 35 weeks.