Editor’s Note: Fewer than six hours following Railway Age’s exclusive reporting on a controversial draft bill headed to a July 20 mark-up before the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Chairperson Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.)
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) now has 27 weeks of rail traffic data for 2022 (ending July 9). Total North American carload and intermodal traffic dipped 3.4% from the same point last year—falling 3.1% in the U.S. and 4.4% in Canada, and rising 1% in Mexico.
“As conjecture grows about the direction of the U.S. economy, June rail traffic doesn’t offer definitive answers on whether a recession is looming or not,” Association of American Railroads’ Senior Vice President John T. Gray reported on July 6.
For the week ending June 25, 2022 (Week 25), U.S. rail traffic was 493,374 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.4% from the prior-year period, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported June 29. Class I railroads hauled 229,857 carloads, down 3.1%, and 263,517 containers and trailers, down 5.5%. Year-to-date, carloads were virtually flat (down 0.1%) and intermodal volume fell 3.5% compared with the same point last year.
U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 18, 2022 (Week 24) was 501,207 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.5% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads were 232,921, up 0.4%, while U.S. intermodal volume of 268,286 containers and trailers fell 4.9%. Year-to-date, carloads improved an almost negligible 0.02%, but intermodal dropped 6.3%, compared to the prior-year period.
U.S. freight rail traffic dipped again in Week 23, compared with the prior-year period, as carloads were down 2.8% and intermodal fell 4.4%, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported for the week ending June 11, 2022.
I present this white paper (downloadable below) from the viewpoint of an observer and generalist, albeit one with more than 46 years of involvement in rail safety and policy issues, 36 years of which were “in the trenches” at the Federal Railroad Administration. The views and issues discussed should be tested against the seasoned judgments of qualified engineers, technologists, managers, line employees and data analysts. They are not native to any individual area of specialization. Only a dialogue involving transparency and rigor will yield clarifications and real progress.
U.S. Class I railroads hauled 475,513 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending June 4, 2022, falling 2.8% from the prior-year period. This is based on 225,274 carloads—down 1.0% from 2021—and 250,239 containers and trailers—down 4.4%, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on June 8.
“Rail traffic volumes in May reflected an economy that is a mixture of good and not-so-good,” Association of American Railroads (AAR) Senior Vice President John T. Gray reported on June 1.
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) now has 20 weeks of rail traffic data for 2022 (ending May 21). Total North American carload and intermodal traffic dipped 3.8% from the same point last year—falling 3.6% in the U.S. and 6.4% in Canada, and rising 3.2% in Mexico.