Week Ending 16 February 2013: Total Rail Traffic Growing

Econintersect: Week 07 of 2013 ending February 16 shows same week total rail traffic above 2012 levels according to data released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR):

• Four week rolling average is improving;
• 13 week rolling average is degrading;
• 52 week rolling average is improving.

A summary of the data:

“AAR also reported mixed rail traffic for the week ending Feb.16, 2013, with total U.S. weekly carloads of 278,596 carloads, down 1.2 percent compared with the same week last year. Intermodal volume for the week totaled 251,078 units, up 13.6 percent compared with the same week last year. Total U.S. traffic for the week was 529,674 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.3 percent compared with the same week last year. Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted increases compared with the same week in 2012, with petroleum products, up 56.1 percent, and nonmetallic minerals and products, up 12.1 percent. Commodities showing a decrease were led by grain, down 14.3 percent. ”

USA coal production is down 5.2% same week year-over-year, and the cumulative effect on rail carloads continues to drag traffic down.

[click on graph below to enlarge]

Current Rail Chart

/images/z rail1.pn

From EIA.gov:

For the week ended February 16, 2013:

Steven Hansen

Source: AAR