The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported that U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 14, 2020, totaled 463,017 carloads and intermodal units, a 7.6 percent decrease compared to 2019.
U.S. carloads, which totaled 226,039 for the week, were down 5.9 percent compared to the same week last year. U.S. intermodal volume for the week totaled 236,978 units, down 9.1 percent compared to 2019.
John T. Gray, AAR senior vice president, stated, “Intermodal, rather than other rail sectors, is likely to see the earliest impacts from the coronavirus because large amounts of intermodal traffic go to or come from ports – roughly half of U.S. intermodal is exports or imports. Unfortunately, extensive flooding and harsh winter weather last year at this time complicate comparisons between this year and last year.”
“That said, the fact that overall intermodal originations last week were the lowest for the same week since 2013 is strong evidence that the coronavirus is impacting intermodal volumes,” added Gray. “This is emphasized by the fact four of the five carriers of intermodal traffic from west coast ports, the principal gateways serving the Chinese trade, saw declines in their intermodal business handled. Similar declines in the East also suggest that the problem has begun to spread to other regions of the supply chain.”
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups that are tracked by the AAR posted an increase for the week ending March 14, 2020, when compared with the same week in 2019. Grain increased 1,288 carloads to 19,911, and motor vehicles and parts were up 1,180 carloads to 19,104. Petroleum and petroleum products increased 1,164 carloads, to 13,294.
Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2019 included coal, down 16,545 carloads, to 55,542; nonmetallic minerals, down 2,468 carloads, to 30,254; and metallic ores and metals, down 992 carloads, to 19,975.
On the 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads, combined North American rail volume for the week ending March 14, 2020, was 644,982 carloads and intermodal units, down 6.4 percent.