The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending April 6, 2024.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 450,142 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.6 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending April 6 were 209,142 carloads, down 4.5 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 241,000 containers and trailers, up 7.6 percent compared to 2023.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included grain, up 3,221 carloads, to 22,000; motor vehicles and parts, up 1,983 carloads, to 16,315; and chemicals, up 1,574 carloads, to 31,907. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 15,107 carloads, to 46,688; nonmetallic minerals, down 2,078 carloads, to 29,540; and metallic ores and metals, down 848 carloads, to 19,403.
For the first 14 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,982,969 carloads, down 4.2 percent from the same point last year; and 3,509,647 intermodal units, up 9.0 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 14 weeks of 2024 was 6,492,616 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 2.5 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending April 6, 2024, on 10 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 321,182 carloads, down 1.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 326,417 intermodal units, up 11.2 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 647,599 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.6 percent. North American rail volume for the first 14 weeks of 2024 was 9,127,511 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.2 percent compared with 2023.
Canadian railroads reported 95,326 carloads for the week, up 5.5 percent, and 72,636 intermodal units, up 12.7 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 14 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,218,935 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.1 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 16,714 carloads for the week, up 3.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 12,781 intermodal units, up 146.5 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 14 weeks of 2024 was 415,960 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 11.7 percent from the same point last year.
