In reporting weekly U.S. rail traffic, as well as volumes for June 2015 and the first six months of 2015, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) revealed on July 1, 2015 that U.S. carload traffic in June dropped 7.7%, while intermodal saw its highest numbers in history at 1,117,149 containers and trailers, a gain of nearly 4% for the month.
North American rail volume on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads for the first 24 weeks of 2015 was 16,950,429 carloads and intermodal units, flat compared with the same period in 2014, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on June 25, 2015 in its weekly freight traffic summary.
The Association of American Railroads has recognized CSX and its wholly owned subsidiary Total Service Distribution, Inc. (TDSI) with an industry award for the highest-quality automotive ramp service performance in the U.S.
The current trend in 2015 U.S. rail freight traffic—intermodal registering gains over prior-year numbers, carload traffic falling—continued for the week ending June 13, 2015, the Association of American Railroads reported. This week was highest on record for intermodal units.
As the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee held the latest in a growing collection of hearings on Positive Train Control, the Association of American Railroads reiterated its oft-repeated message that the industry is fully committed to PTC, despite facing a year-end deadline that many—including some key members of Congress—agree cannot be met.
For the week ending June 6, 2015, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 550,037 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.2% compared with the same week last year, as carload traffic dipped and intermodal grew, the Association of American Railroads reported on June 10.
Testifying at a June 10, 2015 Surface Transportation Board hearing on the shipment of grain by rail, representatives from the Association of American Railroads legal and economic policy departments said that calls to create new grain-specific regulations are “simply unjustified.”
Following the June 2, 2015 oversight hearing of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on Amtrak’s May 12 fatal derailment of Northeast Regional Train 188 (which according to many observers had very little to do with discussing the accident itself and its possible cause—see David Schanoes’ blog), Association of American Railroads President and CEO Ed Hamberger commended Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman “for reinforcing his passenger railroad’s firm commitment to safety.”
In reporting weekly U.S. rail traffic, as well as volumes for May 2015 and the first five months of 2015, the Association of American Railroads revealed that U.S. carload traffic in May dropped nearly 10%, while intermodal continued to beat last year’s numbers, with a gain of nearly 4% for the month.
For the week ending May 23, 2015, U.S. rail traffic dipped nearly 3%, with a gain in intermodal only partially offsetting a sharp decline in carload traffic. The same held true for combined North American traffic for U.S., Canadian and Mexican carriers. U.S. traffic was relatively flat for the year’s first 19 weeks of 2015.