Sizable year-over-year gains for intermodal, coal and grain helped boost U.S. rail volumes last week.
Weekly U.S. rail traffic climbed 12.5% to 520,736 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Saturday, according to the Association of American Railroads.
Of that, U.S. intermodal volumes jumped 22.4% to 290,052 containers and trailers, while U.S. carload volumes rose 2.1% to 230,684 carloads.
Notable gains for carloads came from grain, which rose 19.8% to 23,939 carloads, and coal, which climbed 15.8% to 64,102 carloads. Last week marked the second consecutive week that coal rose year-over-year.
Year-to-date, U.S. rail volumes are 2.7% higher, at 4.98 million carloads and intermodal units. A 9.9% increase in intermodal traffic has helped to offset a 4.6% decline in carloads.
The strength in U.S. intermodal volumes comes as the National Retail Federation (NRF) on Tuesday said retail sales in February gained considerably year-over-year amid increased vaccinations against COVID-19, reduced restrictions on businesses and the government stimulus.
NRF determined that retail sales rose by 7.1% on an unadjusted basis year-over-year. But between January and February, NRF calculated that retail sales slipped 3.4%. The sequential decrease was likely due to February’s severe winter storms that hit large swaths of the country.
In comparison, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that February retail sales were up 6.3% year-over-year but down 3% from January.
The difference between NRF and the Census Bureau’s figures is that NRF figures exclude sales from automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants.
Subscribe to FreightWaves’ e-newsletters and get the latest insights on freight right in your inbox.
Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Joanna Marsh.
Related articles:
Deutsche Bank on import bonanza: ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet’
Will intermodal’s cost advantage be enough to grow beyond 2021?
Supply Chain AI Symposium
Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.
F3: Future of Freight Festival
Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.
Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.
The Old Post • Chicago, IL Register NowIndustry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now