AAR: TOTAL TRAFFIC GREW IN NOVEMBER

摘要

U.S. intermodal traffic was on pace to set a new annual record in 2017, with strong gains in November, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR). U.S. railroads logged 1,369,160 containers and trailers in November, up 3.8 percent compared with the same month in 2016. Although carload traffic slipped 0.9 percent to 1,307,521 units, the combined total of intermodal and carload activity rose 1.5 percent to 2,676,681 units in November compared with the previous year. The November traffic report had a "glass is half empty/ half full" feel to it in part because carload activity was down a bit, said AAR Senior Vice President John Gray. However, commodities that were the main reason for the decline - coal, grain and petroleum products - were down for reasons that had little to do with the state of the economy, he observed. The fact that intermodal volume grew solidly in November - and was poised to set a new annual record in 2017 - was a good sign, he said.