AAR: U.S. rail traffic rebounds in November

Combined United States carload and intermodal cargo volumes ticked up 1.1 percent for the month following several consecutive months of year-over-year declines, according to data from the Association of American Railroads.    United States-based freight railroads saw shipment volumes rebound 1.1 percent in November 2016 compared with the same 2015 period, according to data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
   Total carload traffic for the month ticked up 0.4 percent year-over-year to 1.32 million carloads, while intermodal shipments grew 1.9 percent from the previous November to 1.32 containers and trailers.
   The November increase in rail traffic followed several months of year-over-year declines, as volumes of traditional rail commodities like coal and crude oil have plummeted amid stricter EPA regulations and low prices for alternatives like natural gas.
   AAR noted that excluding coal, total carload volumes grew 1.7 percent compared with November 2015.
   Eleven of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR reported year-over-year growth in November, including grain, up 18.6 percent; chemicals, up 1.9 percent; and crushed stone, gravel, and sand, up 2.5 percent. Commodities that posted declines for the month included petroleum and petroleum products, down 15.4 percent; coal, down 2 percent; and motor vehicles and parts, down 3.5 percent.
   Through the first 11 months of the year, total U.S. rail traffic has fallen 5.8 percent from the same 2015 period, as carloads have dropped 9 percent to just under 12.12 million units and intermodal shipments have slipped 2.5 percent to 12.48 million containers and trailers.
   “There are glimmers of hope in rail traffic data in November, with carloads and intermodal totals both up over last year – something that hasn’t happened for carloads in 22 months and for intermodal in nine months,” AAR Senior Vice President of Policy and Economics John T. Gray said in a statement.
   “Hopefully, these results are indicators of continuing future growth for the manufacturing economy, for trade, and for rail traffic,” he added. “It appears that economic fundamentals are trending toward more positive results than have been seen in the recent past.”