[mlocher]

Our recovery is not doing well if rail traffic is not rebounding.

[GonzoGOP]

This is a leading indicator because the materials being moved in the second quarter are the products being sold in the third quarter. If less is moving now watch for a big drop in sales come July and August. Especially if there is a similar drop in truck shipments it means that industry isn't stocking up and in just running off inventory already in place. IOW a short term gain as the inventory already on the books is sold off, and then a drop in sales as stocks are depleted. It is the kind of thing that causes a sucker rally.

[woodbutcher1963]

The major North American railroads (BNSF,UP,CN,CPRS,CSXT,NS) all have about 1/3 of their flatcars(used for carring lumber) sitting empty on sidings all over the country.
When housing starts go from 2 million in 2004 to 600k in 2009 you do not need as much lumber, plywood ,osb , drywall , etc. Therefore, you do not need as much equipment to transport them.
However, business has picked up dramatically from last fall. Dealers had record low inventories. We are now dealing with a shortage of supply in available TRUCKS. Many truckers have gone out of business in the last few years. Plus diesel is now $3.10-$3.70/ gallon again. There are not enough trucks available for the increase in business. It is going to get worse as we get into produce season. This causes prices of all items shipped on trucks to go up.

[Willie Green]

Our recovery is not doing well if rail traffic is not rebounding.

Freight rail is down, but passenger rail is UP!!!

Amtrak seeing increase in riders across the board

We need to build more high-speed rail and Maglev so our commuter passenger infrastructure can be competitive in the 21st Century.