Last week’s June rail traffic is up 3.6% from one year ago thanks to shipments of more petroleum, metal and stone, says the Association of American Railroads.
Table from AAR
The AAR broken down the top movers this past week:
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.
Year to date traffic in the US is 4.5% higher compared with 2013.
Canadian and Mexican traffic didn’t show the same gains. Total Canadian rail traffic year to date is just 2.4% higher and Mexican traffic is 2.2% higher over the same period.
Year to date primary metals are still down 1.2%.
Coal is up: 4.3% this week and 1.1% year to date.
Hat tip, Business Insider. Image of railroad by Cliff
