North American rail volume for the first 42 weeks of this year on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads came in at 28,077,581 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers. Cumulative volume in the U.S. was 20,185,595 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.1% from 2023.
For the week ending Oct. 19, 2024, U.S. Class I railroads moved a total of 510,730 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.1% compared with the same week last year, the AAR reported Oct. 23. This comprised 223,278 carloads, down 4.6% from 2023, and 287,452 containers and trailers, up 6.0% compared with 2023.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included grain, up 3,052 carloads, to 23,372; miscellaneous carloads, up 1,015 carloads, to 9,992; and farm products excl. grain, and food, up 898 carloads, to 18,082. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 8,261 carloads, to 58,350; nonmetallic minerals, down 3,771 carloads, to 30,281; and metallic ores and metals, down 3,551 carloads, to 18,884.
For the first 42 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 9,142,601 carloads, dipping 3.3% from the prior-year period; and 11,042,994 intermodal units, gaining 9.0% over 2023.
North American rail volume for the week ending Oct. 19, 2024, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 333,360 carloads, down 4.4% compared with the same week last year, and 368,573 intermodal units, up 3.1% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 701,933 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.6%.
Canadian railroads logged 95,182 carloads for the week ending Oct. 19, 2024, down 2.1%, and 67,489 intermodal units, down 7.1% compared with the same week in 2023. Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,677,340 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.0%.
For the week ending Oct. 19, 2024, Mexican railroads reported 14,900 carloads for the week, down 13.8% compared with the same week last year, and 13,632 intermodal units, down 1.5%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 42 weeks of 2024 was 1,214,646 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.7% from the same point last year.
