The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending February 26, 2022, as well as volumes for February 2022.
U.S. railroads originated 915,329 carloads in February 2022, up 11 percent, or 90,525 carloads, from February 2021. U.S. railroads also originated 1,030,317 containers and trailers in February 2022, up 1.4 percent, or 14,294 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in February 2022 were 1,945,646, up 5.7 percent, or 104,819 carloads and intermodal units from February 2021.
In February 2022, 15 of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with February 2021. These included: coal, up 47,238 carloads or 21.3 percent; chemicals, up 19,397 carloads or 16.4 percent; and crushed stone, sand & gravel, up 17,918 carloads or 36.3 percent. Commodities that saw declines in February 2022 from February 2021 included: motor vehicles & parts, down 6,358 carloads or 11.4 percent; petroleum & petroleum products, down 3,191 carloads or 8 percent; and all other carloads, down 2,162 carloads or 9.3 percent.
“U.S. rail traffic had big year-over-year gains in February largely because severe winter storms held volumes back last February,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. “That said, there were pockets of real strength last month. For example, carloads of chemicals set a new monthly record last month, carloads of coal were the highest in five months and carloads of lumber were the most in eight months.”
Excluding coal, carloads were up 43,287 carloads, or 7.2 percent, in February 2022 from February 2021. Excluding coal and grain, carloads were up 39,619 carloads, or 7.7 percent.
Total U.S. carload traffic for the first two months of 2022 was 1,817,594 carloads, up 3.6 percent, or 62,664 carloads, from the same period last year; and 2,031,760 intermodal units, down 7.2 percent, or 157,502 containers and trailers, from last year.
Total combined U.S. traffic for the first eight weeks of 2022 was 3,849,354 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 2.4 percent compared to last year.
Week ending February 26, 2022
Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 485,190 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.3 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending February 26 were 223,330 carloads, up 3.6 percent compared with the same week in 2021, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 261,860 containers and trailers, down 3.5 percent compared to 2021.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2021. They included chemicals, up 6,132 carloads, to 33,914; coal, up 5,375 carloads, to 64,285; and nonmetallic minerals, up 3,744 carloads, to 27,159. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2021 included motor vehicles and parts, down 2,901 carloads, to 13,072; petroleum and petroleum products, down 1,640 carloads, to 8,734; and miscellaneous carloads, down 1,443 carloads, to 8,129.
North American rail volume for the week ending February 26, 2022, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 314,601 carloads, up 0.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 339,541 intermodal units, down 5.5 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 654,142 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.8 percent. North American rail volume for the first eight weeks of 2022 was 5,208,373 carloads and intermodal units, down 4 percent compared with 2021.
Canadian railroads reported 70,286 carloads for the week, down 11.6 percent, and 61,636 intermodal units, down 13.9 percent compared with the same week in 2021. For the first eight weeks of 2022, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,064,017 carloads, containers, and trailers, down 10.3 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 20,985 carloads for the week, up 10.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 16,045 intermodal units, down 2.3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first eight weeks of 2022 was 295,002 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 0.2 percent from the same point last year.
To view the weekly U.S. Rail Traffic charts, click here.
