by Calculated Threat on 10/09/2024 03:35:00 PM
From the Affiliation of American Railroads (AAR) Rail Time Indicators. Graphs and excerpts reprinted with permission.
12 months-to-date whole carloads in 2024 by means of September had been down 3.3% (285,871 carloads) from final
yr and down 3.0% from the primary 9 months of 2022. Up to now in 2024, whole carloads fell on a yr
over-year foundation each month besides August. …
12 months-to-date U.S. intermodal in 2024 by means of September was 10.2 million models, up
9.5% (882,064 models) over final yr and the fourth highest January-September whole ever.
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 had been down 0.5% in September YoY.
Carloads excluding coal had been extra promising: they had been up
2.9% in Q3 2024 over Q3 2023, suggesting continued urge for food for
rail transportation. Excluding coal, whole carloads had been 1.4% (86,782
carloads) increased within the first 9 months of 2024 than in the identical
interval in 2023.
And on Intermodal:
U.S. intermodal originations in September 2024
had been up 10.7% (108,257 containers and trailers)
over September 2023, marking greater than a yr
of consecutive year-over-year good points. In Q3 2024,
intermodal was up 11.0% over Q3 2023, the
largest year-over-year proportion achieve for a
quarter since Q2 2021. Whole intermodal
originations averaged 274,500 in Q3 2024. Solely
2018 had a greater third quarter for whole
intermodal.
Be aware: rail site visitors was weak even earlier than the pandemic. As AAR famous: “Trade tensions and declining mfrg. output lead to lower rail volumes” in 2019.
