COVID – 19 Pandemic Slowing North American Rail Traffic

According to the Association of American Railroads (AAR), North American rail volume for the week ending Saturday April 4^th, were approaching levels typically seen during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. North American rail volume for the week ending last Saturday slipped 16.1% to 596,710 carloads and intermodal units, compared with the same period in 2019. On a year-to-date basis, rail volumes were down 6.7% to nearly 9.1 million carloads and intermodal units. U.S. rail volumes only, fell 15.9% on a weekly basis to 429,095 carloads and intermodal units, and they slipped 8.1% for the first 14 weeks of 2020 to 6.6 million carloads and intermodal units. AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray said “based on rail data, it’s clear that many sectors of U.S. industry are beginning to feel the impact of coronavirus disruptions.”