US rail volume in May fell from the year prior because of fewer shipments of metals, grain and petroleum products.
Total US rail volume in May was 2.03mn carloads and intermodal units, down by 4pc compared with 2.12 carloads and units in the same month last year, Association of American Railroads (AAR) data show. Carload traffic is primarily comprised of commodities such as coal, crude and grain.
"Rail traffic volumes in May reflected an economy that is a mixture of good and not-so-good," AAR senior vice president John Gray said. Automotive production and rail traffic appears to be "slowly recovering." Shipments of crushed stone and sand are also rising.
But chemicals volumes last month dropped for the first time in more than a year. US railroads hauled 133,792 carloads of chemicals, down by 1.4pc from a year-earlier.
And "grain volumes continued to be disappointing when compared to those of 2021 and the latter half of 2020," he said. US railroads hauled 87,795 grain railcars, down by 14pc compared with May 2021.
Coal volume dropped by 2.1pc in May to 256,842 carloads compared with the year-earlier period. Growth in coal traffic has been hampered by limited spot supply and rail service problems.
Shipments of motor vehicles and parts rose by 9pc to 55,036 carloads from a year-earlier. But volume has the potential to fall again as the automotive industry continues to deal with semiconductor chip shortages.
AutoForecast Solutions yesterday increased the number of automotive builds expected to be lost in 2022 by 15,000 vehicles to 135,000. Another 400,000 are at risk of not being built, with more than 200,000 listed as recoverable, according to the forecaster's weekly update.
Railcar loading of nonmetallic minerals, including sand, increased by 1.6pc to 132,011 cars compared with May 2021.
The intermodal sector "had its best month since June 2021," Gray said.
Intermodal volume rose by 1.8pc in May from the prior month, but volume dropped by 4.3pc from May 2021.
