Rail Traffic Plunges By Nearly 20%
Rail traffic continued its decline for the week ending on May 23rd, according to data released by the Association of American Railroads.
Total North American rail traffic was down by 18.7%, totaling 585,931 carloads and intermodal units. Carloads declined by 272,100 units or 26.2% compared to 2019. Intermodal units fell by 313,831 units, 10.8% fewer than last year. North American traffic fell 11.4% cumulatively, since 2019.
In the United States, carload and intermodal traffic lost a combined 19.2% of volume in comparison with week 21 last year. Carloads were down by 27.5%, or 190,639 loads year over year. Intermodal volume slipped by 11.2%, or 238,076 units.
Within carloads, coal lost 32,660 carloads, down to 46,863, motor vehicles and parts fell by 12,171, to 4,874, and metallic ores and metals shrank by 8,733 loads, to 14,805.
U.S. rail traffic is also down cumulatively for the first 21 weeks of the year. Carload shrank by 4,533,784 units or 14.3%, and intermodal moved 4,970,889 containers and trailers, or 11.3% fewer than in 2019. Combined traffic is 12.8% lower than last year.
Union Pacific and CSX have both seen volume fall by more than 20% during the second quarter of 2020. Norfolk Southern’s quarter to date volume has declined by 30%.
Upon release of AAR’s latest data, the association’s Senior Vice President, John T. Gray, stated that, ‘As areas across the country begin to reopen over the next several weeks, perhaps we can start looking for light at the end of what has become a rather long tunnel. Whatever the outcome, railroads will do their part to get us out of the tunnel safely and reliably.’
