AAR: U.S. rail traffic rises 1.5% in November

Intermodal rail traffic remains on pace to set a new annual record in 2017, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).    Total combined U.S. carload and intermodal traffic in November 2017 ticked up 1.5 percent, or 38,587 carloads and intermodal units, from the same month in 2016, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
   Intermodal rail traffic remains on pace to set a new annual record in 2017, with the last week in November marking the best rail intermodal week in history, surpassing multiple records set earlier this year, said AAR.
   U.S. railroads originated 1,307,521 carloads in November 2017, down 0.9 percent, and originated 1,369,160 containers and trailers in November 2017, up 3.8 percent from the same month last year. 
   In November 2017, 12 of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains, including crushed stone, sand & gravel, up 16,402 carloads or 14.8 percent; metallic ores, up 5,810 carloads or 22.8 percent; and chemicals, up 5,465 carloads or 3.6 percent. Commodities that saw declines in November 2017 include coal, down 22,560 carloads or 5 percent; grain, down 16,311 carloads or 12.7 percent; and petroleum & petroleum products, down 3,877 carloads or 7.2 percent.
   “U.S. rail carload traffic in November, like in October, had both a glass-is-half-empty and a glass-is-half-full feel to it,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray.  “It’s half empty because total carloads were down for the month, and railroads of course are concerned with their total level of business. However, the commodities that were the main reason for the decline in total carloads in November – coal, grain, and petroleum products – saw declines for reasons that don’t have much to do with the state of the economy.  So, the half-full feel comes from the fact that many traffic categories that are more sensitive to the economy did relatively well in November, which is a good sign for the economy going forward.  The fact that intermodal grew solidly in November and will almost certainly set a new annual record in 2017 is a good sign as well.”
   Total U.S. carload traffic for the first 11 months of 2017 was 12,479,958 carloads, up 2.9 percent, or 356,660 carloads, from the same period last year. Intermodal units totaled 12,945,869 units, up 3.7 percent, or 467,141 containers and trailers, from last year.