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09-12-2009, 07:28 PM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg The best way to see what the economy is actually doing is not from Wall Street but from our nations railroad freight cars in use. (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=232428)
http://www.youtube.com/v/XhW55Z56GUQ&hl=en&fs=1Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) - Sept. 12, 2009
The Economy may be bottoming out but it is far from 2006, 2007 or even 2008 levels.
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported that while US freight rail carloads declined in August, down 16.4 percent (at 1,116,182 carloads) compared with the same month last year, the percentage decline for the month was the lowest since February.
Carload data for certain commodity groups had notable traffic changes in August. Carloads of chemicals – which are used as a raw material in virtually all types of manufacturing – were up 14 percent (at 134,601 carloads) from its lowest point this year in March. This increase in carloads of chemicals is in line with the August Purchasing Managers Index, up 4 percent from the month before. The autos and auto parts commodity group saw a significant monthly boost – likely the result of the federal “Cash for Clunkers” program – up 40 percent (at 44,272 carloads) in August from the month before.
The more consumer-driven intermodal traffic was down 16.7 percent compared with August 2008. However, the average weekly intermodal count was 196,066 trailers – the highest since January 2009.
“August was another month where we are seeing traffic data moving in the right direction – but we are still in a wait-and-see mode,” said AAR Senior Vice President of Policy and Economics John Gray. “Railroads are beginning to bring cars out of storage – a promising sign there is growing demand to move more things by rail. However, to date, the improvements remain too small to judge whether they are the result of seasonal factors or indicators of an emerging recovery.”
Freight by rail – the details
Railroads move 43 percent of the nation’s intercity freight volume and are the “greenest,” most fuel-efficient form of ground transportation today.
A freight train can move a ton of freight an average of 457 miles on a single gallon of fuel. That’s close to four times as far as it could move by truck.
A train can take the load of 280 trucks off the road. That’s like removing 1,100 cars from the road.
Each ton-mile of freight moved by rail rather than highway reduces greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds or more.
Freight trains are three or more times more fuel-efficient than trucks.
If just 10 percent of freight currently moved by highway switched to rail, national fuel savings would exceed one billion gallons of fuel a year and greenhouse gas emissions would fall by 12 million tons.
By improving their fuel efficiency, freight railroads have on average reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 20 million tons every year since 1980.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AAR_Monthly_Railroad_Frieght_Traffic.jpg
Data are weekly average originations for each month, exclude U.S. operations of CN and CP, and reflect revisions from original reporting.
For a far more detailed report, you can download the September 2009 - Rail Time Indicators - A Review of Key Economic Trends Shaping the Demand for Rail Transportation (http://www.aar.org/Home/AAR2/NewsAndEvents/~/media/AAR/RailTimeIndicators/Rail%20Time%20Indicators%20September%202009.ashx).
http://www.youtube.com/v/XhW55Z56GUQ&hl=en&fs=1Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) - Sept. 12, 2009
The Economy may be bottoming out but it is far from 2006, 2007 or even 2008 levels.
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported that while US freight rail carloads declined in August, down 16.4 percent (at 1,116,182 carloads) compared with the same month last year, the percentage decline for the month was the lowest since February.
Carload data for certain commodity groups had notable traffic changes in August. Carloads of chemicals – which are used as a raw material in virtually all types of manufacturing – were up 14 percent (at 134,601 carloads) from its lowest point this year in March. This increase in carloads of chemicals is in line with the August Purchasing Managers Index, up 4 percent from the month before. The autos and auto parts commodity group saw a significant monthly boost – likely the result of the federal “Cash for Clunkers” program – up 40 percent (at 44,272 carloads) in August from the month before.
The more consumer-driven intermodal traffic was down 16.7 percent compared with August 2008. However, the average weekly intermodal count was 196,066 trailers – the highest since January 2009.
“August was another month where we are seeing traffic data moving in the right direction – but we are still in a wait-and-see mode,” said AAR Senior Vice President of Policy and Economics John Gray. “Railroads are beginning to bring cars out of storage – a promising sign there is growing demand to move more things by rail. However, to date, the improvements remain too small to judge whether they are the result of seasonal factors or indicators of an emerging recovery.”
Freight by rail – the details
Railroads move 43 percent of the nation’s intercity freight volume and are the “greenest,” most fuel-efficient form of ground transportation today.
A freight train can move a ton of freight an average of 457 miles on a single gallon of fuel. That’s close to four times as far as it could move by truck.
A train can take the load of 280 trucks off the road. That’s like removing 1,100 cars from the road.
Each ton-mile of freight moved by rail rather than highway reduces greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds or more.
Freight trains are three or more times more fuel-efficient than trucks.
If just 10 percent of freight currently moved by highway switched to rail, national fuel savings would exceed one billion gallons of fuel a year and greenhouse gas emissions would fall by 12 million tons.
By improving their fuel efficiency, freight railroads have on average reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 20 million tons every year since 1980.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AAR_Monthly_Railroad_Frieght_Traffic.jpg
Data are weekly average originations for each month, exclude U.S. operations of CN and CP, and reflect revisions from original reporting.
For a far more detailed report, you can download the September 2009 - Rail Time Indicators - A Review of Key Economic Trends Shaping the Demand for Rail Transportation (http://www.aar.org/Home/AAR2/NewsAndEvents/~/media/AAR/RailTimeIndicators/Rail%20Time%20Indicators%20September%202009.ashx).