(Radio Iowa) – A report presented to the state Transportation Commission today (Tuesday) shows an uptick in November in some types of rail traffic. The D-O-T’s Stuart Anderson says the numbers shows a lot of activity in consumer goods. “Very strong consumer spending and consumer demand has been reflected in a lot of activity at our ports, bringing in a lot of containers, and of course, that then corresponds to a lot of car loads following those intermodal containers on the rail system,” Anderson says. Anderson says the rail cargo increased dramatically. “Three of the top five weeks of all time were in November in hauling intermodal containers ,” he says, “so strong consumer demand and consumer spending. Year to date, that’s up just about eleven percent over last year.” While the amount of consumer goods increased, the rail numbers for manufacturing products didn’t match them.

“The hauling of industrial products on the rail system is flat, reflecting the continuing weak manufacturing sector,” Anderson says. Anderson says there is some better news for farmers in the rail numbers. “Grain shipments are up compared to 2023 of course, 2023 was a was a challenging year for grain exports and shipment on the rail system,” Anderson says. Anderson says there has been a lot of talk among the railroads about the potential impact on traffic from potential tariffs from the incoming Trump administration, and the D-O-T will monitor any changes.