Econintersect: Week 37 of 2013 ending 14 September shows same week total rail traffic (from same week one year ago) improved according to data released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Railcar count is up, and intermodal count is up. Weekly overall data is up, and up even more ignoring coal and grain.
- Four week rolling average rate of growth (compared with the average one year ago) is accelerating, and better than the 4 week rolling average one year ago;
- 13 week rolling average rate of growth (compared with the average one year ago) is accelerating, and better than the 13 week rolling average one year ago;
- 52 week rolling average rate of growth (compared with the average one year ago) is accelerating, and better than the 52 week rolling average one year ago.
This is the eighth week of improving data.
A summary of the data:
Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted increases compared with the same week in 2012, led by motor vehicles and parts with 26,722, up 14.4 percent; and petroleum and petroleum products, also up 14.4 percent. Commodities showing a decrease compared with the same week last year included grain, with 17,744 carloads, down 9.8 percent.
For the first 37 weeks of 2013, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 13,355,569 carloads, down 1.0 percent from the same point last year, and 9,015,014 intermodal units, up 3.7 percent from last year. Total U.S. traffic for the first 37 weeks of 2013 was 19,370,583 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.2 percent from last year.
USA coal production is up 0.7% same week year-over-year, has become a neutral to positive dynamic on rail.
| This Week | Carloads | Intermodal | Total |
| This week Year-over-Year | 1.5% | 4.9% | 3.1% |
| Ignoring coal and grain | 7.1% | ||
| Year Cumulative to Date | -1.0% | 3.7% | 1.2% |
[click on graph below to enlarge]
Current Rail Chart
/images/z rail1.png
From EIA.gov:
For the week ended September 14, 2013:
Source: AAR
