For the first 52 weeks of 2024, cumulative rail traffic volume for Canadian railroads came in at 8,221,597 carloads, containers and trailers, down 1.0% from 2023, and for Mexican railroads, 1,484,930 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.4% from 2023, the AAR reported Jan. 3, 2025.
North American rail volume on nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads for the first 52 weeks of 2024 totaled 34,885,113 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3% from 2023.
U.S. Class I railroads carried 389,700 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending Dec. 28, 2024, up 5.1% from the same week in 2023. This comprised 184,028 carloads, up 1.1% from 2023, and 205,672 containers and trailers, up 9.0% from 2023.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included miscellaneous carloads, up 2,130 carloads, to 7,448; grain, up 1,727 carloads, to 19,478; and nonmetallic minerals, up 1,102 carloads, to 19,822. Commodity groups that posted declines included metallic ores and metals, down 1,732 carloads, to 16,265; coal, down 1,265 carloads, to 50,787; and forest products, down 485 carloads, to 7,214.
North American rail volume for the week ending Dec. 28, 2024, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 275,294 carloads, up 1.3% compared with the same week in 2023, and 266,932 intermodal units, up 4.1% compared with 2023. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 542,226 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.6%.
For the week ending Dec. 28, 2024, Canadian railroads reported 79,750 carloads, up 5.5%, and 52,159 intermodal units, down 7.1% from the same week in 2023.
Mexican railroads reported 11,516 carloads for the week ending Dec. 28, 2024, dropping 19.3% from the same point in 2023, and 9,101 intermodal units, falling 20.7%.
