AAR: U.S. rail traffic up 0.7% in September

Eight of the 20 carload commodities tracked by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) were on the rise in September 2017 compared to the same period a year prior, according to recent data from the association.    Total combined U.S. carload and intermodal rail traffic in September 2017 was up 0.7 percent, or 2.1 million carloads and intermodal units, from September 2016, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
   While carloads were down 2.3 percent in September, containers and trailers were up 3.8 percent compared with the same month last year. Eight of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with September 2016.
   Crushed stone, sand and gravel was up 9.3 percent; primary metal products, up 11.8 percent; and metallic ores, up 13.6 percent were the largest commodity gains. Commodities that saw declines in September 2017 include grain, down 16.7 percent; petroleum & petroleum products, down 17 percent; and motor vehicles & parts, down 9.8 percent.
   “As our economy and population grow, consumer spending will grow too, and intermodal will continue to be the best way to get many goods to consumers,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. “The last two weeks of September were the top two intermodal weeks in history for U.S. and Canadian railroads.  We’re confident that the tremendous efforts railroads have been expending in recent years to improve service and enhance capacity will translate into continued intermodal gains.”
   Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 39 weeks of 2017 stood at 20.5 million carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.6 percent compared to the same 2016 period, according to AAR data.