Association of American Railroads

AAR: North American Rail Volume Down Through 23 Weeks

For the first 23 weeks of 2023 (ending June 10), total U.S. weekly rail traffic dipped 4.2% from the same point last year, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) June 14 report. Both Canada and the U.S. saw declines, while Mexico saw an increase.

Intermodal: ‘On the Decline in 2023’

“Roughly half of U.S. intermodal shipments are related to international trade, so what happens at ports is extremely important to railroads,” said John T. Gray, Senior Vice President of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), which on June 7 released a report on U.S. rail traffic for May 2023 and for the week ending June 3, 2023. “U.S. port volumes, especially on the West Coast, have already been trending down for months and are a major reason why rail intermodal volumes have been on the decline in 2023.”

AAR to STB: RETAC Retrograde

The Association of American Railroads is not happy with the tone of some of the conversation at the April 26 Surface Transportation Board Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee (RETAC) Spring Meeting, complaining

Millerbernd Manufacturing, which has produced rings and cylinders for 90 years, intends to manufacture flanges, nozzles, protective housings and fitting plates for tank cars at its Winsted, Minn., facility (pictured).
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Supply Side: Millerbernd Manufacturing Company, Siemens Mobility, Zephyr Rail

Winsted, Minn.-based Millerbernd Manufacturing Company receives Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) certification for tank car components. Also, Siemens Mobility acquires Italian software firm Optrail S.r.l.; and Zephyr Rail earns a spot on Zweig Group’s list of best AEI (architecture, engineering and construction) firms to work for.

AAR: North American Rail Volume Down Through 21 Weeks

For the first 21 weeks of 2023 (ending May 27), total U.S. weekly rail traffic dipped 4.1% from the same point last year, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) May 31 report. Both Canada and the U.S. saw declines, while Mexico saw an increase.

STB Eyes Alternatives to URCS (UPDATED May 25)

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) in October 2022 sought public comment on a new report that identifies and evaluates alternatives to the Uniform Railroad Costing System (URCS) that could be used as a replacement general-purpose costing methodology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) and the Western Coal Traffic League (WCTL) respond.

For Week 20, Carloads, Intermodal Volume Decline

U.S rail traffic in Week 20 (ending May 20, 2023) lagged the same week last year—falling 5.2%, according to the Association of American Railroads’ May 24 report. Both carloads and intermodal volume were down.

Photo by Carolina Worrell

Rebuilds Rule

RAILWAY AGE, MAY 2023 ISSUE: Railinc’s analysis of the North American locomotive fleet reveals that the size of the total fleet decreased slightly in 2022.