Image:Association of American Railroads.
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has released its latest report on U.S. rail traffic, revealing insights into the industry’s performance for the week ending December 2, 2023, and the overall volumes for November 2023.
November Highlights
In November 2023, U.S. railroads initiated the movement of 1,128,573 carloads, showing a marginal decline of 0.0 percent compared to the same period in 2022. On the other hand, the transportation of containers and trailers experienced an upward trend, with 1,279,906 units, marking a significant 5.0 percent increase from November 2022. The combined volume of carloads and intermodal units in November 2023 reached 2,408,479, reflecting a 2.6 percent rise.
The AAR’s breakdown of carload commodity categories for November 2023 revealed positive gains in 12 out of 20 categories. Notably, chemicals saw an increase of 5.7 percent, motor vehicles & parts rose by 6.6 percent, and petroleum & petroleum products surged by 10.1 percent. Conversely, certain categories experienced declines, including crushed stone, sand & gravel (-8.0 percent), all other carloads (-25.6 percent), and grain (-5.4 percent).
AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray commented on the overall performance, stating, “U.S. intermodal volume rose 5.0% in November, its third straight year-over-year gain after 18 straight declines and the biggest year-over-year percentage gain for intermodal in 29 months.”
Excluding coal, carloads exhibited a minor decline of 0.1 percent in November 2023 compared to the previous year. However, excluding both coal and grain, carloads showed an encouraging increase of 0.8 percent.
Year-to-Date Figures
Total U.S. carload traffic for the first 11 months of 2023 registered a slight uptick, standing at 10,824,994 carloads, a 0.2 percent increase from the same period in 2022. Meanwhile, intermodal units experienced a decline of 6.0 percent, totaling 11,684,971, representing 748,046 fewer containers and trailers than the previous year.
The cumulative U.S. rail traffic for the initial 48 weeks of 2023 amounted to 22,509,965 carloads and intermodal units, reflecting a 3.1 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2022.
Weekly Performance Ending December 2, 2023
For the week ending December 2, 2023, total U.S. rail traffic exhibited a positive trend, recording 509,626 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.9 percent increase from the corresponding week in the previous year. Carloads for the week reached 237,049, up by 1.4 percent, while intermodal volume surged by 8.2 percent, totaling 272,577 containers and trailers.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted increases during this week, including chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, and motor vehicles and parts.
North American Overview
North American rail volume for the week ending December 2, 2023, on 10 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads witnessed a combined increase of 4.6 percent. The first 48 weeks of 2023 reflected a 2.8 percent decrease in North American rail volume compared to the same period in 2022.
Canadian railroads reported positive growth in both carloads and intermodal units for the week, while Mexican railroads demonstrated a notable increase in both categories.
In summary, the U.S. rail industry is showing resilience, with a promising trajectory in intermodal volumes and positive indicators for various carload commodity categories. The outlook remains optimistic as railroads anticipate sustained momentum into 2024.
Source:Association of American Railroads.
