WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic showed a significant slide for the second consecutive week, with overall volume down 7.4% from the same week in 2021.
Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show 498,011 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending April 23, 2022. That includes total carloads, down 4.5%, and 268,976 containers and trailers, down 7.4 percent.
The previous week, total traffic had been down 8.1%, including a 6.8% drop in carloads [see “Weekly U.S. rail traffic shows significant drop,” Trains News Wire, April 21, 2022]. Carload traffic had been running ahead of 2021 figures for most of the year. Year-to-date figures still have carloads 1.4% ahead of the 16-week totals for 2021, while intermodal units are down 7%, with overall traffic down 3.2%. Total traffic is averaging 490,825 carloads per week.
North American totals, for 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, include 328,525 carloads, down 3.5% from the corresponding week in 2021, and 357,139 intermodal units, down 7.8%. The total of 685,664 carloads and intermodal units represents a 5.8% decrease from the same week in 2021. Overall North American volume is down 4% from the year-to-date total for 2021.
I think this latest decrease is mostly due to the downturn in the economy as well as the slow down in goods from China due to its Covid shutdowns. There are a lot of looming economic problems on the USA’s horizon right now. I only hope this country does not have to go through what it did during the later 70’s into the very early 80’s for everyone’s sake including the railroads.
Happy Days Are Here Again.
“US Economy Shrinks as GDP Declines by 1.4 Percent”
https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/gdp-down-1-4-percent-consumer-spending/2022/04/28/id/1067627/
It should come as no surprise car loadings are down. Will railroads use this as a breather to get their act together on service?
PSR seems to be self destructing the railroads…when the crap hits the fan real good, the stockholders will surly blame the union. It’s called “the circle game”…