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Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US rail traffic ekes out another gain over 2024
U.S. weekly rail traffic remained above 2024 levels for the week that ended on Saturday — but barely. According to the Association of American Railroads, traffic for the week was 488,709 carloads and intermodal units, a 0.7% gain over the same week in 2024. It marked the 13th consecutive week in which traffic has been above year-ago figures, but the smallest gain during that period. The overall figure includes 226,091 carloads, up 3.8%, and 262,618 containers and trailers, a decrease of 1.8% compared to the corresponding week in 2024. Gainers and decliners were evenly split for the week. Coal shipments topped all commodity increases, up 12.1%, followed by motor vehicles and parts, 4.1%, and nonmetallic minerals, 3.5%Through 21 weeks, 2025 volume is 10,280,643 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.9% gain over the same period in 2024. That includes 4,580,934 carloads, up 2.3%, and 5,699,709 intermodal units, up 4.9%. North American traffic for the week, as reported by nine U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads, was 675,811 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.8% from the same week a year ago. That included 330,466 carloads, up 4.5%, and 345,345 containers and trailers, down 0.8%. The year-to-date volume for North America is 14,173,143 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.3% from the first 21 weeks of 2024. That includes 3,407,247 carloads and intermodal units in Canada, a gain of 0.7%, and 485,523 carloads and intermodal units in Mexico, a decrease of 10.1%. Subscribe to FreightWaves' Rail e-newsletter and get the latest insights on rail freight right in your more articles by Stuart Chirls railroad has 100 extra locomotives ready to handle a container surge Baun joins railcar builder Greenbrier as chief commercial officer Norfolk Southern expands short line interchange improvement program Rail agenda steams up as short lines blitz Congress The post US rail traffic ekes out another gain over 2024 appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Coal extends surprising lead in weekly US rail traffic
Carload traffic provided most of the growth as U.S. weekly rail traffic remained above 2024 levels for the week that ended on Saturday. Figures from the Association of American Railroads show traffic for the week totaled 490,775 carloads and intermodal units, a 3.4% increase over the same week a year ago. That figure included 229,226 carloads, up 7.1% over the corresponding week in 2024, and 261,549 containers and trailers, a 0.3% increase. Through 20 weeks, U.S. volume of 9,791,934 carloads and intermodal units represents a 5.1% increase over the same period in 2024. That includes 4,354,834 carloads, up 2.2%, and 5,437,091 intermodal units, up 7.5%. Coal, which has reversed a longtime decline, maintained its lead among commodities, up 17.5% for the week and 6.5% year to date, benefiting from cold outbreaks this winter and rising exports that are projected to reach 95 million short tons (MMst) this year, up from 91 MMst in 2024, mostly on record Asia demand, according to the U.S. Energy Information American traffic for the week, as reported by nine U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads, was 687,953 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.8% from the same week in 2024. That includes 338,480 carloads, up 5.9%, and 349,473 intermodal units, up 1.9%. The year-to-date North American volume is 13,497,647 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.3% from the first 20 weeks of 2024. That includes 3,247,385 carloads and intermodal units in Canada, a gain of 0.6%, and 458,328 carloads and intermodal units in Mexico, a decline of 11.2%. (Chart: AAR)Subscribe to FreightWaves' Rail e-newsletter and get the latest insights on rail freight right in your inbox.J.B. Hunt and Eastern and Canadian railways see steady intermodal volume For first time since 1998, LA-Long Beach ports bid harbor rail services Advisory team will drive overhaul of US railroad regulator ITS Logistics report shows surge stressing US rail ramps after tariffs slashedThe post Coal extends surprising lead in weekly US rail traffic appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Coal, grain keep US rail freight ahead of 2024 levels
Carload and intermodal traffic posted gains as weekly U.S. rail traffic remains ahead of 2024 levels, according to the Association of American Railroads. Statistics for the week ending May 10 show overall U.S. volume of 495,552 carloads and intermodal units, a 5.7% increase over the same week a year earlier. That includes 222,238 carloads, a 6.2% increase over the corresponding week in 2024, and 273,314 containers and trailers, up 5.4%. Weekly gainers were led by coal, up 21%, and grain, up 20%. Through 19 weeks, the cumulative volume of 9,301,159 carloads and intermodal units is running 5.2% ahead of the same period in 2024. That figure includes 4,125,617 carloads, up 2% from the first 19 weeks of 2024, and 5,175,542 intermodal units, up 7.9%. Petroleum, metals and nonmetallic minerals were weaker year on year, which may reflect a tempered economic outlook for development and manufacturing. North American volume for the week, from nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads, included 695,745 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 5.4%. Included in that total are 332,095 carloads, up 4.9% over the same week a year ago, and 363,279 intermodal units, up 5.9%. The 19-week North American total of 12,833,256 carloads and intermodal units is an increase of 3.5% over the same period in 2024. That includes 3,077,297 carloads and intermodal units in Canada, a gain of 0.4%, and 454,800 carloads and intermodal units in Mexico, a drop of 7.9%. Subscribe to FreightWaves' Rail e-newsletter and get the latest insights on rail freight right in your lost out on $1 million a day in Q1 revenue amid hurricane, tunnel work Trump's FRA nominee vows to uphold 2-person train crews Union Pacific President Whited stepping down Layoffs hit BNSF tech staff amid restructuring The post Coal, grain keep US rail freight ahead of 2024 levels appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Railroads want feds to scrap 2-person train crew rule
The biggest U.S. railroads are asking the Trump administration to repeal a federal rule requiring two-person crews on freight trains. The trade group representing six Class I railroads in the U.S. and Canada termed the Biden-era rule 'an unsubstantiated mandate that conflicts with the Trump administration's policy goals of regulatory reform, technological advancement, and data-driven rule-making.' The filing marks a resumption of the railroads' campaign for single-person crews they say have been successfully implemented by hundreds of smaller railroads. Comments on the rule, which was finalized by the Federal Railroad Administration in April 2024, were filed by the Association of American Railroads after an April 3 request for information by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The AAR urged the agency to modernize and streamline regulations it claims stifles innovation and discourages investment without improving safety. 'For too long, outdated, arbitrary regulations have stood in the way of implementing data-backed solutions that can further strengthen railroads' already remarkable safety record,' said AAR President and Chief Executive Ian Jefferies, in a release. 'As technology advances, railroads must be empowered to innovate — not be hamstrung by prescriptive rules, including some written more than 50 years ago. As a critical economic enabler, domestic growth and prosperity are contingent upon maintaining freight railroads' ability to safely, reliably and affordably deliver for American businesses and communities.' The AAR in its comments called 'illusory' the rule's special approval process for one-person crews, and claimed the FRA has no data showing such crews are unsafe. The railroads also said one-person crews would save them $264.7 million over the first 10 years of gradual implementation, according to a 2016 analysis by consultant Oliver Wyman. The railroads called the crew rule 'a 2020 campaign promise' by Biden 'that failed to quantify any safety benefit to justify its significant costs.' The railroads also want DOT to relax other safety measures, including finalizing a proposed rule calling for less frequent inspections of train brakes. 'Collectively, these changes would reduce unnecessary regulatory burden while continuing to meet USDOT's responsibility to ensure the safety of the nation's transportation system,' AAR said in the release. Subscribe to FreightWaves' Rail e-newsletter and get the latest insights on rail freight right in your inbox. Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here. Related coverage: FreightCar America Q1 net better than half of revenue Grupo Mexico rail operations earnings plunge as volume drops BNSF profits rise as volume and rates increase Class I railroads keep optimistic outlooks despite trade uncertainty The post Railroads want feds to scrap 2-person train crew rule appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US rail freight still ahead of 2024 levels
Weekly U.S. rail volume remains ahead of 2024 levels — at least for now. Amid reports that import traffic from China is about to drop dramatically, with an almost-certain impact on intermodal volume, both carload and intermodal traffic remained above previous-year levels for the week ending April 26, 2025. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show that U.S. traffic for the week was 502,105 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.5% from the same week in 2024. That includes 233,411 carloads, up 9% from the corresponding week a year ago, and 268,694 containers and trailers, up 2.6%. Through 17 weeks of 2025, the total volume of 8,306,914 carloads and intermodal units represents a 5% increase over the same period in 2024. That includes a 1.5% rise in carloads and an 8% increase in intermodal units. North American figures for the week, from nine reporting U.S, Canadian, and Mexican railroads, total 703,626 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.3% increase over the same week in 2024. That includes 343,175 carloads, up 5.9%, and 360,451 intermodal units, up 2.5%. Year-to-date traffic for North America is 11,440,654 carloads and intermodal units, a 3.2% increase over the first 17 weeks of 2024. That includes a gain of 0.2% in Canada and a 10.1% decline in Mexico. Subscribe to FreightWaves' Rail e-newsletter and get the latest insights on rail freight right in your I railroads keep optimistic outlooks despite trade uncertainty CN's first-quarter earnings grow despite impact of severe weather Union Pacific heritage locomotive honors Abraham Lincoln CPKC's first-quarter profits rise despite trade war The post US rail freight still ahead of 2024 levels appeared first on FreightWaves. Sign in to access your portfolio
