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 complete carloads in 2024 by way of September have been down 3.3% (285,871 carloads) from final
12 months and down 3.0% from the primary 9 months of 2022. Up to now in 2024, complete carloads fell on a 12 months
over-year foundation each month besides August. …
12 months-to-date U.S. intermodal in 2024 by way of September was 10.2 million items, up
9.5% (882,064 items) over final 12 months and the fourth highest January-September complete 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. Complete carloads have been down 0.5% in September YoY.
Carloads excluding coal have been extra promising: they have been up
2.9% in Q3 2024 over Q3 2023, suggesting continued urge for food for
rail transportation. Excluding coal, complete carloads have been 1.4% (86,782
carloads) larger within the first 9 months of 2024 than in the identical
interval in 2023.
And on Intermodal:
U.S. intermodal originations in September 2024
have been up 10.7% (108,257 containers and trailers)
over September 2023, marking greater than a 12 months
of consecutive year-over-year positive factors. In Q3 2024,
intermodal was up 11.0% over Q3 2023, the
largest year-over-year proportion acquire for a
quarter since Q2 2021. Complete intermodal
originations averaged 274,500 in Q3 2024. Solely
2018 had a greater third quarter for complete
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.
