(The Association of American Railroads posted the following news release on its website on March 4.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. rail carload traffic rose 38,149 carloads (3.0 percent) while intermodal volume rose 47,808 trailers and containers (6.6 percent) in February 2004 compared with February 2003, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.
Thirteen of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw U.S. carload increases in February 2004. The 3.0 percentage point increase was the largest monthly year-over-year increase for U.S. railroads since October 1998.
Commodities showing traffic gains on U.S. railroads in February 2004 included coal (up 9,870 carloads, or 2.0 percent); crushed stone, sand, and gravel (up 8,833 carloads, or 13.9 percent); coke (up 6,551 carloads, or 41.0 percent); and grain (up 5,880 carloads, or 7.0 percent). Carloads of waste and scrap materials, consisting predominantly of scrap metal and paper, were up 4,351 carloads (12.3 percent). On the down side, carloads of metallic ores were off 5,654 carloads (13.0 percent) and motor vehicles and equipment were down 1,020 carloads (1.0 percent).
For the first two months of 2004, total U.S. rail carloads were up 69,683 carloads (2.7 percent), as year-over-year increases in crushed stone, sand, and gravel (up 15,857 carloads, or 12.5 percent); grain (up 15,049 carloads, or 8.8 percent); and coke (up 11,824 carloads, or 35.6 percent) offset declines in motor vehicles and equipment (down 13,112 carloads, or 6.7 percent) and metallic ores (down 10,194 carloads, or 10.9 percent). Total volume was estimated at 233.6 billion ton-miles, up 4.1 percent from 2003’s first eight weeks.
“Grain, chemicals, forest products, metal products, nonmetallic minerals, waste and scrap — these and other commodities across the industry spectrum saw rail traffic increases in February and support the increasingly popular view that a broad economic expansion may be unfolding,” noted AAR Vice President Craig F. Rockey.
U.S. intermodal traffic, which consists of trailers and containers on flat cars and is not included in carload figures, was up 87,915 trailers and containers (6.0 percent) for the first two months of 2004. “Railroads have become much more nimble at adapting to market requirements — and the continued growth of frequent, reliable, speedy, high-service intermodal proves they are accomplishing this objective,” Rockey remarked.
Canadian rail carload traffic was up 11,441 carloads (4.6 percent) in February 2004 and up 19,003 carloads (3.9 percent) for the year to date. Carloads of grain in Canada were up 6,693 carloads (27.3 percent) in February 2004 and up 13,578 carloads (26.9 percent) for the first two months of the year; carloads of metallic ores were up 2,811 carloads (30.7 percent) for the month and up 5,219 carloads (29.7 percent) for the year to date. Canadian intermodal traffic was down 3,468 units (2.2 percent) in February 2004 compared with February 2003 and down 6,819 units (2.1 percent) for the first two months of 2004.
Carloads originated on Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM), a major Mexican railroad, were down 3,305 carloads (9.3 percent) in February, while intermodal originations were down 162 trailers and containers (1.1 percent). For the first two months of 2004, TFM carloadings were down 6,964 carloads (9.8 percent), while intermodal traffic was down 3,228 units (10.9 percent).
For just the week ended February 28, the AAR reported the following totals for U.S. railroads: 341,427 carloads, up 8.1 percent from the corresponding week in 2003, with loadings up 7.0 percent in the East and up 9.1 percent in the West; intermodal volume of 198,283 trailers and containers, up 9.3 percent; and total volume of an estimated 30.7 billion ton-miles, up 10.0 percent from the equivalent week last year.
For Canadian railroads during the week ended February 28, the AAR reported volume of 68,449 carloads, up 9.1 percent from last year; and 35,035 trailers and containers, down 14.9 percent from the corresponding week in 2003.
Combined cumulative volume for the first eight weeks of 2003 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 3,122,118 carloads, up 2.9 percent (88,686 carloads) from last year; and 1,871,042 trailers and containers, up 4.5 percent (81,096 trailers and containers) from 2003’s first eight weeks.