Aggregate rail carloads down in January 2021

Crushed stone, sand and gravel rail carloads were down in January, compared to the same month last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

While 10 of 20 carload commodity categories AAR tracks saw monthly gains, crushed stone, sand and gravel carloads dropped by 18.9 percent (14,097 carloads) compared to January 2020.

In total, U.S. railroads originated 930,303 carloads in January – a 2.1 percent decrease from the same period a year ago – and 1.17 million trailers and containers.

“We are encouraged by rail volumes in January,” says John Gray, vice president of AAR. “To be sure, the economy remains under strain with a good deal of uncertainty, but we’re cautiously optimistic about the future. Railroads are well prepared to support a strong recovery whenever it occurs.”