U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes see annual declines in May, reports AAR

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported this week that United States rail carload and intermodal volumes saw annual declines in May.

Rail carloads—at 740,171—were down 27.7%, or 282,965 carloads. And AAR said that only one of the 20 carload commodity groups tracked by the AAR, farm products excluding grain, rose annually, with a 324-carload, or 10.6% increase. Commodities that saw declines in May 2020 from May 2019 were coal, down 127,201 carloads or 40.7%; motor vehicles & parts, down 49,341 carloads or 75%; and crushed stone, sand & gravel, down 18,196 carloads or 19.4%. When excluding coal, carloads were down 155,764 carloads, or 21.9%, in May 2020 from May 2019, and when excluding coal and grain, carloads were down 150,701 carloads, or 24.3%, said AAR.

Intermodal containers and trailers in May—at 912,922—were off 13%, or 136,241 units, annually.

For the week ending May 30, U.S. rail carloads—at 179,873—were down 24.2% annually, and intermodal units—at 215,741—were off 10.6%

“Overall traffic levels last week were down from the prior week as would be expected for a week which includes a national holiday,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray in a statement. “However, it is somewhat heartening to note that 11 of the 20 carload categories, including several major commodity areas, improved their showing versus 2019 when comparing their current loading rates to those we have seen the last four weeks. Perhaps most notably, automobile loadings improved to about one-third the normal level as assembly plants began the intricate process of reopening. While this is still a long way from where we would like to be, it is far better than the ten percent of norm of only two weeks ago.”

Through the first five months of 2020, AAR reported that U.S. rail carload volume—at 4,713,757—was down 14.7%, or 815,413 carloads, annually. And intermodal units—at 5,186,630—declined 11.3% or 661,703 units, compared to May 2019.