How bad has recession hit the raliroads?

[carajul]

How much are rail car loadings down YTD? Has this recession really hurt the RRs bad as a whole. I've seen -16% all the way to -30%. Does anyone have an accurate figure?

[markyk]

Great site that gets updated every Thursday...........By the looks of things, we may have bottomed out when measuring declines from last year.

http://railfax.transmatch.com/

[blockline4180]

Yeah, it appears things may be getting slightly better from earlier this year, but we seem to still be far from levels in 2006-07.

A friend tells me a few of the manifest freights into Allentown from points south and west have been growing, but I don't know if that reflects the increasing of carloadings on a whole.

[blockline4180]

A friend tells me a few of the manifest freights into Allentown from points south and west have been growing, but I don't know if that reflects the increasing of carloadings on a whole.

Don't forget that the railroads have also abolished some trains and combined others. So it could be that some trains being longer are the result of other trains that no longer exist. I know that has happened down along the CSX RF&P sub. Even the southbound juice has been a lot shorter lately.

Kevin

How ya been Kev??

[SecaucusJunction]

Anybody else notice those pesky fuel prices heading up again?

[blockline4180]

Anybody else notice those pesky fuel prices heading up again?

Yes, unfortunatley it doesn't help me!!
I'm thinking it may help the railroads, but one never knows anymore!!

[SecaucusJunction]

Here is a good article about the railroads in the post-recession era. Seems to have some good insight as to what will happen upon recovery. Ironically, this is some of the same stuff I've been ranting about for a while in the archives. Hopefully the railroads are using this time to ready themselves for the coming months and years. The rising fuel prices can only help.

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/n ... p?id=20319

[Kaback9]

From April regarding CSX in the first quarter.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/prnewswire/ ... 98834.html

[Otto Vondrak]

Since this topic has national scope, I'm moving it...

[Ken W2KB]

Anecdotal, of course, but comparing the ex-Santa Fe line from Raton to Lamy, NM, as I observed it from the SW Chief 2 years ago and a few weeks ago, this year there were far more well (a/k/a stack) cars stored along the line at unneeded passing sidings and a couple other places. Tucked away far from yards, etc. as these cars are currently not needed due to the economy.

[roadster]

CSX officials holding "townhall" meetings with employees in New York State stated that CSX currently has 600 plus loco's, and 22,000 rail cars in storage. About a quater of their fleet. Layoffs, have reached back to employees with 6-8 years of seniority. Trains have been reblocked, others abolished. It is now fairly common to see 100 plus car freights along this segment of railroad. Less trains just more cars on the ones which are still running.

[RDGTRANSMUSEUM]

NS claims they are down 50 percent from last year.