by Calculated Danger 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 have been down 6.0% in Might 2024 from Might 2023, their fifth straight year-over-year decline. 12 months-to-date complete carloads via Might have been down 5.0%, or 247,984 carloads, from final yr and have 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 Might 2024, down 22.0% from final yr and its fifth straight double-digit proportion decline. In
our information, solely Might 2020 and April 2024 had fewer coal carloads. 12 months-to-date coal carloads in 2024
via Might have been down 18.3%, or 263,128 carloads, from final yr. Nonetheless, coal stays the one highest quantity carload commodity for U.S. railroads (25% of carloads to this point this yr).
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 Might
2024 have been down 6.0%, or 67,145 carloads, from Might 2023.
The weekly common in Might 2024 was 212,160 carloads,
nearly the identical as in April 2024.12 months-to-date complete carloads in 2024 via Might
have been down 5.0% (247,984 carloads) from the identical interval
final yr 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 Might 2024 was up 7.6%
(90,744 containers and trailers) over Might 2023, its ninth
straight acquire. 12 months-to-date intermodal quantity via
Might was 5.57 million items, up 8.7% (443,453 items) over final
yr however down 3.1% (180,434 items) from 2022.
