AAR: Thanksgiving holiday a drag on U.S. freight-rail traffic

U.S. railroads hauled 2,393,027 carloads and intermodal units in November, a 3.3% decrease compared with November 2021 volumes, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Last month, U.S. railroads logged 1,162,736 carloads, down 0.9%, and 1,230,291 containers and trailers, down 5.4%, compared with year-ago levels. AAR Senior Vice President John Gray attributed the decrease in part to the impact of the Thanksgiving holiday.

"Thanksgiving week is one of the lowest volume weeks of the year for rail traffic, which means November rail volumes frequently do not clearly demonstrate underlying sequential trends," said Gray in a press release.

Eight of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month posted carload gains versus a year ago. They included crushed stone, sand and gravel, up 9.2%; motor vehicles and parts, up 8.3%; and all other carloads, up 10%.

Commodities that posted declines last month included chemicals, down 10.3%; grain, down 3%; and pulp and paper products, down 7.2%.

"As has been the case for months, some sectors continue to show strength while others face headwinds," Gray said. "For example, relatively slow lumber carloads are consistent with the weak market for new home construction. Conversely, rail-hauled motor vehicles and vehicle parts volumes have been rising as automakers have increased output thanks to greater parts availability."

For the first 11 months of 2022, U.S. freight railroads transported 11,134,112 carloads, about the same as last year; and 12,552,267 intermodal units, down 4.8%.