U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes end 2022 with declines, reports AAR

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the month of December, saw annual declines, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads—at 842,171—decreased 4.4%, or 38,476 carloads, annually, noted AAR. And four of the 20 carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: motor vehicles & parts, up 5,842 carloads or 12.9%; crushed stone, sand & gravel, up 2,034 carloads or 3%; and food products, up 721 carloads or 3.2%. Commodities with annual declines included: chemicals, down 16,067 carloads or 12%; coal, down 12,991 carloads or 5.2%; and grain, down 4,589 carloads or 5.2%. When excluding coal, carloads were down 25,485 carloads, or 4% annually, and when excluding coal and grain, carloads were down 20,896 carloads, or 3.9%.

Intermodal containers and trailers—at 900,213—fell 5.2%, or 49,107 units, annually. AAR said that combined U.S. rail carloads and intermodal units—at 1,742,384—decreased 4.8% annually.

“Rail markets are always evolving, and 2022 was no exception,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray in a statement. “Coal carloads grew solidly in 2022 largely because higher natural gas prices made coal-fired electricity generation more competitive. However, those same higher natural gas prices, along with other market disruptors, hurt rail chemical volumes, since natural gas is a key raw material for chemical manufacturing. Grain carloads in 2022 were slightly higher than the annual average over the past decade, but they were down year-over-year because 2021 was the best year for grain carloads since 2008. Intermodal volume in 2022 was the sixth best ever, but down from an even stronger 2021.”

Total 2022 U.S. rail carload volume—at 11,976,283 carloads—were off 0.3%, or 34,001 carloads, and intermodal units—at 13,452,480—fell 4.9%, or 686,580, containers and trailers.