In January, U.S. intermodal shipments and carloads of chemicals set new records, and grain was up 40%, its “biggest-ever” year-over-year increase, Association of American Railroads (AAR) Senior Vice President John T. Gray reported on Feb. 3. Total carloads (930,303) were the highest they have been in a year, he added—an encouraging sign.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is allowing certain railroads to use an alternative request for amendment (RFA) process rather than the existing 49
CFR § 236.1021 process before making “certain material modifications to an FRA-certified Interoperable Train Control (ITC) positive train control (PTC) system or its accompanying PTC Safety Plan (PTCSP),” the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) reported.
An intermodal gain approaching a whopping 20% coupled to a modest decrease in carload traffic, compared to 2020, drove a rail freight traffic increase of nearly 10% for Week 3 of 2021, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on Jan. 27.
Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in on Jan. 20 as the 46th President and the first woman Vice President of the United States, respectively. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has extended its support.
For the week ending Jan. 9, 2021, total U.S. rail traffic was 525,253 carloads and intermodal units—up 4.7% from the comparable week of 2020, ending Jan. 11—based on a double-digit intermodal gain, according to an Association of American Railroads (AAR) Jan. 13 report. Total carloads of 235,404 fell 1.6% vs. the comparable week in 2020, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume of 289,849 containers and trailers rose 10.4% vs. 2020.
U.S. rail traffic by the end of the 2020 reporting year was “close to pre-pandemic levels, sparked by sharply higher grain and intermodal shipments along with the reopening of auto assembly plants,” Association of American Railroads (AAR) Senior Vice President John T. Gray said on Jan. 6.
For the week ending Dec. 26, total U.S. weekly rail traffic of 405,111 carloads and intermodal units rose 8.4% compared with the same period last year, the Association of American Railroads reported Dec. 30. That was based on the continuing trend of intermodal gains (up 20.8% to 220,082 units) compensating for carload losses (down 3.4% to 185,029) vs. the 2019 period.
Intermodal gains—due in part to e-commerce’s surge through the pandemic and Holiday season—surpassed carload declines to drive U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Dec. 19, 2020, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on Dec. 23.
Congress passed the $2.3 trillion “Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021” (H.R. 133), an omnibus spending bill that includes a $900 billion COVID-19 emergency relief package as well as government appropriations for fiscal year 2021, tax extenders and other provisions. While many in the rail industry expressed appreciation—stressing that additional transit aid, for instance, will be needed—outgoing President Donald Trump did not. He refused to approve the bill—calling for higher direct relief checks to Americans and other changes—but he finally signed it into law late Dec. 27, averting a government shutdown Dec. 29.
Freight rail and transit organizations are requesting that Congress and state governors, respectively, consider their members’ employees as the COVID-19 vaccine is distributed.