North American Rail Traffic Fell 16.1% in Week Ended April 4
April 08 2020 - 1:54PM
Dow Jones News
By Colin Kellaher
North American rail traffic slid 16.1% last week as the impact
of coronavirus pandemic on railroads escalates, data from the
Association of American Railroads showed.
Carload volume for the week ended April 4 on 12 reporting U.S.,
Canadian and Mexican railroads tumbled 16.7%, while intermodal
traffic fell 15.5%, the trade group said Wednesday.
In the week ended March 28, North American rail traffic was down
11.4%. For the first 14 weeks of the year, North American traffic
is now down 6.7%, compared with a year-to-date drop of 6% reported
a week earlier.
The AAR said U.S. rail traffic fell 15.9% last week, with
carloads dropping 16.2% and the volume of intermodal containers and
trailers down 15.7%.
The group said total U.S. rail carloads last week reached their
lowest levels since its data began in 1988, except for a few
Christmas and New Year's weeks, when rail operations are seasonally
low.
In addition to sustained weakness in coal carloads, the AAR said
last week's decline reflects a more than 80% plunge in shipments of
autos and auto parts sparked by the suspension of manufacturing
operations by most automakers.
U.S. rail traffic is now down 8.1% for the year to date, the AAR
said, compared with a year-to-date decline of 7.5% reported a week
earlier.
Canadian rail traffic fell 15.1% last week amid a 17.1% drop in
carloads and a 12.7% decline in intermodal units. Canadian rail
traffic is down 3.7% for the first 14 weeks of the year.
Mexican rail traffic plunged 23% for the week, with carloads
down 21.8% and intermodal units off 24.3%. Mexican rail traffic,
which began the year on a strong note, is now up just 0.3% for the
year to date, the AAR said.
Write to Colin Kellaher at colin.kellaher@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 08, 2020 13:39 ET (17:39 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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