AAR: U.S. rail traffic ticks up 0.1% in January

Total U.S. rail volumes were relatively steady in January 2018, as a 3.4 percent year-over-year decline in carloads was offset by a 3.5 percent increase in intermodal traffic, according to the latest data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR).    Total combined U.S. freight railroad traffic in January 2018 ticked up 0.1 percent to 2.53 million carloads and intermodal units compared with the same month a year ago, according to the latest data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
   U.S. railroads saw carload shipment fall 3.4 percent year-over-year to 1.21 carloads for the month, but the decline in carloads was offset by a 3.5 percent increase in intermodal traffic to 1.31 million containers and trailers.
   Eight of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by AAR each month saw gains in January, including crushed stone, sand and gravel, up 3,498 carloads (3.8 percent) from the previous year; petroleum and petroleum products, up 3,196 carloads (6.4 percent); and lumber and wood products, up 1,167 carloads (8.0 percent).
   Commodities that saw year-over-year declines during the month included coal, down 25,083 carloads (5.8 percent); motor vehicles and parts, down 8,372 carloads (10.1 percent); and grain, down 6,917 carloads (5.8 percent).
   “Recent stock market gyrations remind all of us that, when it comes to things related to the economy, conditions can change quickly. For now, though, rail volumes are not flashing strong warning signs,” AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray said in a statement.
   “In January, intermodal picked up where it left off last year, when it set a new annual record, and several carload categories showed gains for the month. To be sure, we could do without January’s sharp fall in motor vehicle and coal carloads, among others, but we’re hopeful that the basic economy remains on a firm footing and that the recent turmoil in the markets simply represents an adjustment to potential interest rate changes.”
   Total U.S. rail traffic grew 3.4 percent to nearly 27.5 million carloads and intermodal units for the full year in 2017, as carload traffic increased 2.9 percent to 12.48 million carloads and intermodal shipments rose 3.7 percent to 12.94 million containers and trailers.