The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported Thursday increased US rail traffic for June 2014, with both carload and intermodal volume increasing compared with June 2013. US Class I railroads originated 1,177,655 carloads in June 2014, up 3.6 percent (41,310 carloads) over June 2013. Year-over-year monthly carload growth averaged 4.9 percent from March 2014 through June 2014, the highest average for any four-month period since December 2010 through March 2011. Total carloads averaged 294,414 in June, the highest weekly average for June since 2008.
Intermodal traffic in June totaled 1,077,385 containers and trailers, up 6.7 percent (67,967 units) over June 2013. The weekly average in June was 269,346 units, the highest for any month in history. In the second quarter of 2014, intermodal traffic grew 8 percent (253,921 units).
Seventeen of the 20 commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw year-over-year carload increases in June, the same as May. Commodities with the biggest carload increases in June 2014 over June 2013 included crushed stone, sand and gravel, up 12,217 carloads, or 14.1 percent; grain, up 10,394 carloads, or 16.5 percent; petroleum and petroleum products, up 4,736 carloads, or 8.6 percent; motor vehicles and parts, up 4,214 carloads, or 6.2 percent; and, primary metal products, up 2,753 carloads, or 6.6 percent.
“All in all, June was another good month for rail traffic,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. “The fact that most categories of rail traffic were up in June, and that intermodal set a new volume record, supports the view that the economy is rebounding at a decent pace. Railroads will continue to do their part in ensuring this continues.”