Econintersect: Week 17 of 2013 ending April 27 shows same week total rail traffic mixed according to data released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR):
- Four week rolling average is improving (normal for this time of year);
- 13 week rolling average is improving ( normal for this time of year);
- 52 week rolling average is unchanged;
- If coal and grain are ignored, this week’s comparison to same week one year ago shows contraction.
- AAR monthly April 2013 summary follows.
A summary of the data:
“Intermodal traffic in April 2013 totaled 962,019 containers and trailers, up 1.6 percent (15,053 units) compared with April 2012. April’s weekly average of trailers and containers, 240,505, was the highest for any April in history.
Carloads originated in April 2013 totaled 1,108,722, down 0.4 percent (4,640 carloads) compared with the same month last year.
Nine of the 20 major commodity categories tracked on a monthly basis by AAR saw year-over-year increases in April 2013 over April 2012. Commodities with the biggest carload increases in April included petroleum and petroleum products, up 46.4 percent or 17,524 carloads; crushed stone, gravel and sand, up 11.5 percent or 8,959 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, up 5.9 percent or 3,868 carloads; and coke, up 10.1 percent or 1,359 carloads.
Commodities with carload declines last month included grain, down 17.1 percent or 13,511 carloads; metallic ores, down 26.5 percent or 8,605 carloads; primary metal products, down 8.1 percent or 3,583 carloads; and coal, down 0.7 percent or 3,086 carloads.
April’s weekly average for grain carloads, 16,345, was the lowest weekly average for grain for any month on record (AAR data go back to 1988). The weekly average for coal carloads, 106,679, was the lowest weekly average for coal for any month since July 1993.
Carloads excluding coal and grain were up 2 percent (11,957 carloads) in April 2013 over April 2012. ”
USA coal production is down 1.6% same week year-over-year, and coal over the last few months is becoming a neutral dynamic on rail.
| This Week | Carloads | Intermodal | Total |
| This week Year-over-Year | -2.6% | 2.1% | -0.4% |
| Ignoring coal and grain | -1.8% | ||
| Year Cumulative to Date | -2.4% | 4.4% | 0.7% |
[click on graph below to enlarge]
Current Rail Chart
/images/z rail1.pn
From EIA.gov:
For the week ended April 27, 2013:
Source: AAR
