Investopedia: Rail Traffic Ends 2011 On A High Note

Not only did rail traffic continue to rebound in 2011, but the railroads saw a very strong end to the year in December. Plenty of ground has been regained from the depths of the recession, but traffic is still well behind peak levels in 2006. In addition, rail shipping is more compelling than ever before, with higher diesel prices and intermodal traffic an increasing and profitable component of many rails' business plan.

December's Data
For the month of December, U.S. rail traffic rose 7.3% on a year-over-year basis and 1.8% on a month-over-month basis. Intermodal traffic was up 9.4 and 0.4%, respectively, and Canadian numbers were likewise quite strong (rail traffic up 8.9 and 6.8%, and intermodal up 10.2 and 1.7%, respectively).

Driving home the strength of these results is the fact that 16 of the 20 major categories tracked by the Association of American Railroads (and published in Rail Time Indicators) were positive in December. That's the strongest result in a year, and only the grain category showed real weakness (down about 3%).

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