Coronavirus Impacts: AAR: U.S. rail carload activity drops to Great Recession levels

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on U.S. freight-rail traffic is growing, with the number of carloads and intermodal containers and trailers transported during the week ending April 4 tumbling 15.9 percent to 429,095 units compared with volumes logged in the same week a year ago, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Total carloads for the week plunged 16.2 percent to 210,911 units, while intermodal volume dropped 15.7 percent to 218,184 containers and trailers.

AAR officials haven't witnessed sustained declines of carloads at the current level since the Great Recession, said AAR Senior Vice President John Gray in a press release.
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