Weekly rail traffic volumes are up again over the prior-year period, according to the latest Association of American Railroads (AAR) report, but Week 36 (ending Sept 7, 2024) was the fourth in a row to see gains in carloads and intermodal units.
Total U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Sept. 7, 2024, came in at 479,179 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.3% from the same week last year, AAR reported Sept. 11. That comprised 222,201 carloads, rising 2.2% from 2023, and 259,978 intermodal containers and trailers, increasing 12.1% from 2023. Before Week 33 (ending Aug. 17, 2024), it had been seven weeks since both carloads and intermodal units surpassed 2023 levels.
For the week ending Sept. 7, 2024, five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included grain, up 4,920 carloads, to 19,552; chemicals, up 3,269 carloads, to 32,669; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,033 carloads, to 10,778. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 4,024 carloads, to 63,754; motor vehicles and parts, down 1,248 carloads, to 13,663; and forest products, down 338 carloads, to 7,511.
For the first 36 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 7,780,022 carloads, down 3.4% from the same point last year; and 9,351,417 intermodal units, up 9.4% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 36 weeks of 2024 was 17,131,439 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.2% compared to 2023.
North American rail volume for the week ending Sept. 7, 2024, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 323,723 carloads, down 0.1% compared with the same week in 2023, and 334,792 intermodal units, up 9.2% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 658,515 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.4%. North American rail volume for the first 36 weeks of this year came in at 23,874,410 carloads and intermodal units, a 2.5% gain over 2023.
Canadian railroads reported 87,045 carloads for the week ending Sept. 7, 2024, a 2.9% decrease, and 65,938 intermodal units, up 1.7% compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 36 weeks of this year, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,691,1447 carloads, containers and trailers, up 0.3%.
For the week ending Sept. 7, 2024, Mexican railroads reported 14,477 carloads, down 13.8% from the same period last year, and 11,876 intermodal units, falling 6.0%. Their cumulative volume for the first 36 weeks of this year was 1,051,524 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 5.1% from the prior-year period.
