by Calculated Threat on 6/10/2024 11:12:00 AM
From the Affiliation of American Railroads (AAR) Rail Time Indicators. Graphs and excerpts reprinted with permission.
Whole U.S. carloads had been down 6.0% in Could 2024 from Could 2023, their fifth straight year-over-year decline. 12 months-to-date whole carloads via Could had been down 5.0%, or 247,984 carloads, from final 12 months and had been the bottom in our information that return to 1988.
We’ve stated it earlier than and we’ll say it once more: it’s coal’s fault. Coal averaged 49,239 carloads per
week in Could 2024, down 22.0% from final 12 months and its fifth straight double-digit proportion decline. In
our information, solely Could 2020 and April 2024 had fewer coal carloads. 12 months-to-date coal carloads in 2024
via Could had been down 18.3%, or 263,128 carloads, from final 12 months. Nonetheless, coal stays the one highest quantity carload commodity for U.S. railroads (25% of carloads up to now this 12 months).
emphasis added
Click on on graph for bigger picture.
This graph from the Rail Time Indicators report reveals the six-week common of U.S. Carloads in 2022, 2023 and 2024:
Whole originated carloads on U.S. railroads in Could
2024 had been down 6.0%, or 67,145 carloads, from Could 2023.
The weekly common in Could 2024 was 212,160 carloads,
just about the identical as in April 2024.12 months-to-date whole carloads in 2024 via Could
had been down 5.0% (247,984 carloads) from the identical interval
final 12 months and down 4.4% from the identical interval in 2022.
The second graph reveals the six-week common (not month-to-month) of U.S. intermodal in 2022, 2023 and 2024: (utilizing intermodal or delivery containers):
U.S. intermodal quantity in Could 2024 was up 7.6%
(90,744 containers and trailers) over Could 2023, its ninth
straight acquire. 12 months-to-date intermodal quantity via
Could was 5.57 million models, up 8.7% (443,453 models) over final
12 months however down 3.1% (180,434 models) from 2022.
