by Calculated Danger on 1/20/2025 11:17:00 AM
From the Affiliation of American Railroads (AAR) Rail Time Indicators. Graphs and excerpts reprinted with permission.
For the complete yr 2024, whole U.S. carloads have been 11.34 million, down 2.9% (343,156 carloads) from 2023 and down 2.3% (265,491 carloads) from 2022. … Carloads excluding coal, however, rose in 2024 — up 1.4%, or 117,264 carloads, over 2023 and their third year-over-year achieve up to now 4 years.
U.S. railroads originated 13.84 million containers and trailers in 2024, probably the most since 2021; the third most ever (behind 2018 and 2021); and up 9.3% (1.17 million items) over 2023.
emphasis added
Click on on graph for bigger picture.
This graph from the Rail Time Indicators report exhibits the six-week common for carloads for the final 3 years. Whole carloads have been down 2.0% in This fall YoY.
Whole originated carloads on U.S. railroads within the fourth quarter of 2024 fell 2.0%, or 57,285 carloads,
from the fourth quarter of 2023. Whole carloads fell year-over-year every quarter in 2024 after rising
(albeit modestly) in three of the 4 quarters of 2023. Whole carloads averaged 220,336 per week in
This fall 2024. In our data that start in 1988, solely 2020 had a decrease fourth-quarter weekly common.
And on Intermodal:
In This fall 2024, intermodal averaged 279,275 items per week, up 8.8% over This fall 2023 and probably the most ever for
a fourth quarter in our data. (Q3 2018 and Q2 2021 have been greater amongst all quarters.) Container
quantity averaged 269,460 per week in This fall 2024, up 10.0% over This fall 2023 and probably the most ever for any
quarter.
Be aware: rail visitors was weak even earlier than the pandemic. As AAR famous: “Trade tensions and declining mfrg. output lead to lower rail volumes” in 2019. These components may influence rail visitors once more in 2025.
