The Association of American Railroads (AAR) Policy and Economics Department on July 8 released Rail Industry Overview, a new complimentary monthly report that the association said offers “quick insights into what rail traffic says about today’s economy and where the data suggest it could be headed.”
“June rail traffic continued the trends we’ve seen throughout the first half of 2024, with coal shipments declining and pulling total carloads below 2023 levels,” AAR Chief Economist Rand Ghayad reported July 3. “However, this decline is balanced by growth in other sectors, including chemicals, motor vehicles and intermodal shipments.”
U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 22, 2024 (Week 25) was up 3.6% from the prior-year period, as intermodal gains more than offset carload losses, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) latest report.
The Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) elects Tim McOsker as Board Chair. Also, STV elevates senior transportation leaders to support the growing Texas/Mountain Region; Union Pacific’s (UP) Sanjay Verna becomes the new Chairperson of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) Quality Assurance Committee; and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Member J. Todd Inman welcomes a new team to his staff.
Innovation and a strong culture are driving a safer future for freight rail.
Through the first 24 weeks of 2024 (ending June 15), total North American carload and intermodal traffic rose 2.0% from the same point last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR). The U.S., Canada and Mexico all experienced gains.
Four witnesses on June 13 testified before the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight in a hearing titled “Environmentalism Off the Rails: How CARB Will Cripple the National Rail Network.”
U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 8, 2024 (Week 23) was up 4.1% from the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported June 12.
Two BNSF automotive facilities earn quality excellence awards from the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Also, CSX and Union Pacific (UP) are among the 100 companies on Forbes’ Net Zero Leaders list; and more than 1,000 UP managers wrap up a two-day “Operational Excellence” workshop.
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) Equipment Engineering Committee (EEC) has certified the Atlas railcar system to run on all major U.S. freight railroads, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy, which developed it to transport the nation’s commercial spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste weighing up to 480,000 pounds (240 tons).