U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes see annual declines in June

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the month of June, saw annual declines, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads—at 1,157,555—fell 1.5%, or 17,970 carloads compared to June 2021. When excluding coal, rail carloads fell 7,744 carloads, or 0.9%, annually. And when excluding coal and grain, rail carloads were down 12,538 carloads, or 1.7%. 

AAR reported that eight of the 20 carload commodity categories it tracks saw annual gains, including: crushed stone, sand & gravel, up 7,028 carloads or 7.3 percent; grain, up 4,794 carloads or 4.5 percent; and motor vehicles & parts, up 3,839 carloads or 6.2 percent. Commodities that saw declines in June 2022 from June 2021 included: coal, down 10,226 carloads or 3.1 percent; all other carloads, down 7,532 carloads or 23.1 percent; and primary metal products, down 5,388 carloads or 11.6 percent.

Intermodal containers and trailers—at 1,323,119—fell 4.6%, or 63,483 units, compared to June 2021.

“As conjecture grows about the direction of the U.S. economy, June rail traffic doesn’t offer definitive answers on whether a recession is looming or not,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray in a statement. “Like many other economic indicators today, rail traffic is a mix of red, yellow, and green with some traffic lines, such as automotive, providing generally positive indicators while others, such as chemicals, being a bit more subdued than they were earlier in the year.”

For the week ending July 2, U.S. rail carloads—at 234,561—were off 1% annually, and intermodal units—at 265,724—were off 3.7% annually.