Carload and intermodal volumes post annual gains in September, reports AAR

Despite service-related issues which continue to receive a fair amount of attention, railroad and intermodal volume for the month of September both saw gains, according to data released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

September carloads—at 1,190,431—were down 2.7 percent—or 30,837 carloads— annually. Intermodal—at 973,715 trailers and containers—was up 2.5 percent—or 24,126 trailers and containers—compared to September 2011. The AAR said that with September’s tally carload volumes have been up annually for seven consecutive months, which has not happened since the beginning of 2011.

Intermodal volume––1,073,042 trailers and containers––was up 4.5 percent––45,803 units¬¬––on an annual basis, with the second through the fourth weeks of the month representing the three highest-volume intermodal weeks ever for U.S. railroads, the AAR said.

“As has generally been the case in recent months, U.S. freight rail traffic in September was consistent with an economy that’s growing at a steady pace.  We think that will probably continue for the foreseeable future,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray in a statement.

Of the 20 major commodities tracked by the AAR, 15 were up on an annual basis in September. Petroleum and petroleum products were up 28.1 percent, and crushed stone, sand, and gravel were up 12.6 percent. Coal was down 1.7 percent.

For the week ending September 27, the AAR said that U.S. railroads moved 301,863 carloads for a 1.6 percent annual decrease. And weekly intermodal volume at 275,071 trailers and containers was up 1.8 percent annually.