International intermodal traffic along the U.S. West Coast saw a significant surge in January, driven by import frontloading and cargo diversions stemming from concerns over new U.S. tariffs and potential labor disruptions along the East and Gulf coasts.
This uptick in West Coast activity continued a trend that began last fall, particularly in the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Seattle, and Tacoma. Meanwhile, intermodal volumes in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic remained subdued.
Looking ahead, it remains unclear whether recent labor stability along the East and Gulf coasts, along with some clarity on tariffs, will cause West Coast volumes to slow or prompt a shift back to the East Coast.
According to the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), international intermodal traffic across North America grew by 15% in January compared to the same period last year.
In the Southwest-to-Midwest corridor, volumes surged by 36.7% year over year, with railroads transporting approximately 45,000 ocean containers from Los Angeles to Chicago—an increase from 34,000 a year ago, per estimates from the Journal of Commerce.
Similarly, intermodal traffic from the Pacific Northwest to the Midwest saw a 23% jump, with railroads moving between 10,000 and 15,000 ocean containers from Seattle and Tacoma to Chicago. In contrast, January 2024 saw only 4,000 to 7,000 containers transported along that route.
The Los Angeles-to-Chicago corridor set a record for January volumes, while the Seattle-to-Chicago route experienced its strongest January since 2019.
Demand was robust in both directions. Loaded volumes from the Midwest to the Southwest climbed 34.6%, while shipments to the Pacific Northwest skyrocketed by 96.6%, according to IANA data.
While West Coast ports gained intermodal volume, the East Coast saw a decline.
Rail shipments from the Northeast to the Midwest dropped 13.8%, with a 12.3% decrease in the opposite direction. This reflects reduced activity on lanes connecting key East Coast ports—such as New York/New Jersey and Virginia—to inland markets including Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Detroit, and Louisville.
Estimates from the Journal of Commerce indicate that about 2,000 fewer containers moved from New York/New Jersey to Chicago, while Virginia-to-Chicago traffic declined by 1,500 to 2,000 containers compared to January 2024.
Intermodal rail traffic within the Southeast remained stagnant or slightly down. Routes linking Charleston and Savannah to Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, and Memphis showed little change. The Savannah-to-Atlanta corridor maintained stable import volumes of approximately 10,000 containers, while exports hovered near 5,000, mirroring January 2024 levels.
Source: www.joc.com