U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed in June, reports AAR
United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the month of June, were mixed, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
Rail carloads, at 885,864, were off 1.7%, or 15,019 carloads, annually, noted AAR. When excluding coal, rail carloads rose 11,254 carloads, or 1.7% annually, and when excluding coal and grain, rail carloads were flat, up only 283 carloads.
AAR reported that 11 of the 20 carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: grain, up 10,971 carloads or 17.5 percent; chemicals, up 8,273 carloads or 6.7 percent; and petroleum & petroleum products, up 5,291 carloads or 14.0 percent. Commodities posting annual declines included: coal, down 26,273 carloads or 10.4 percent; crushed stone, sand & gravel, down 9,947 carloads or 11.2 percent; and all other carloads, down 4,016 carloads or 16.9 percent.
June intermodal containers and trailers, at 1,960,510, were up 3.8%, or 70,877 units, compared to June 2023.
“June rail traffic continued the trends we've seen throughout the first half of 2024, with coal shipments declining and pulling total carloads below 2023 levels,” said AAR Chief Economist Rand Ghayad in a statement. “However, this decline is balanced by growth in other sectors, including chemicals, motor vehicles, and intermodal shipments. Freight rail serves as a reflection of the broader economy, and the increase in motor vehicles and intermodal traffic indicates resilient consumer spending across various industries.”
For the week ending June 29, U.S. rail carloads, at 224,775, increased 1.1% annually, and intermodal units, at 267,124, saw a 6.3% annual gain.
