March 01, 2023 | Class I

For February, Carloads, Intermodal Volume Decline

Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Edit



U.S rail traffic in February 2023 lagged the same month last year—down 5.2% or 101,452 carloads and intermodal units, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported March 1. This follows January’s 3.2% drop from the prior-year period; while carloads rose slightly during the first month of the year, intermodal experienced its worst January since 2013.

According to AAR, U.S. Class I railroads in February 2023 hauled 1,849,723 carloads and intermodal units, comprising 905,744 carloads (down 1.6%) and 943,979 containers and trailers (down 8.4%). In contrast, February 2022 U.S. rail traffic experienced big year-over-year gains largely due to severe winter storms holding back volumes in 2021; February 2019 U.S. rail traffic was behind February 2018, reflecting weather and/or economic and trade-related uncertainty.

“Coal, chemicals and grain together account for more than half of all non-intermodal U.S. rail volume [in February 2023],” AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray reported in the just-released rail traffic report, which covers last month and the week ending Feb. 25, 2023. “When all three are down like they were in February, it’s very hard for total carloads not to be down, too. On the positive side, several commodities including crushed stone and sand, petroleum products, steel products, grain mill and food products showed very strong performances.”



In February 2023, eight of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with February 2022. These included crushed stone, sand and gravel, up 8,821 carloads or 13.1%; petroleum and petroleum products, up 5,833 carloads or 15.8%; and motor vehicles and parts, up 4,389 carloads or 8.9%. Commodities that saw declines included coal, down 16,648 carloads or 6.1%; grain, down 9,227 carloads or 9.7%; and chemicals, down 6,298 carloads or 4.6%.

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