Intermodal Traffic Reaches All-Time Monthly Record in June
U.S. intermodal traffic set a new record for average weekly volume in June, the Association of American Railroads said Tuesday.
Traffic totaled 1,009,387 containers and trailers, up 1.3% from June 2012. The weekly average of 252,347 units was the highest for any month on record, eclipsing the previous record of 251,703, set in October 2006.
Volume for the first six months of the year was 6,270,438 units, up 3.6% from a year ago, the rail trade group said.
Intermodal traffic has risen for 43 consecutive months, said John Gray, AAR’s senior vice president of policy and economics.
“Generally, the fall is the peak period for intermodal, so it wouldn’t be surprising if further intermodal records were set in the months ahead,” he said in a statement.
June rail carloads totaled 1,136,719, down 0.3% from the same month last year, with 10 of 20 major commodity categories showing increases.
The gains were led by petroleum and petroleum products, which jumped 31.7% from a year ago and almost doubled from June 2011.
Canadian intermodal traffic slipped 0.4% to 217,686 containers and trailers, an average of 54,422 per week, AAR reported.
June 2012 was the highest-volume intermodal month in history for Canadian railroads and June 2013 was the third highest.
Intermodal volume in Canada was 4.4% higher in the second quarter and the first half of the year compared with the same periods last year, AAR said.
Canadian railroads — including their U.S. operations — moved 308,054 carloads in June, down 1.3% from June 2012 and the first year-over-year decline in eight months.
Petroleum and petroleum products moved by rail were up 10.2% from a year ago and 57.3% from June 2011, AAR figures showed.
