Rail Traffic for the week ending November 11, 2023

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending November 11, 2023.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 497,348 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.4 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending November 11 were 233,745 carloads, up 2.3 percent compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 263,603 containers and trailers, up 4.4 percent compared to 2022.

Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included coal, up 1,793 carloads, to 69,213; motor vehicles and parts, up 1,707 carloads, to 16,542; and metallic ores and metals, up 1,520 carloads, to 19,705. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2022 were nonmetallic minerals, down 1,168 carloads, to 31,294; farm products excl. grain, and food, down 113 carloads, to 16,801; and chemicals, down 95 carloads, to 30,673.

For the first 45 weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 10,154,581 carloads, up 0.1 percent from the same point last year; and 10,929,010 intermodal units, down 6.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 45 weeks of 2023 was 21,083,591 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 3.6 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending November 11, 2023, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 347,446 carloads, up 4.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 345,647 intermodal units, up 3.2 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 693,093 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.8 percent. North American rail volume for the first 45 weeks of 2023 was 29,526,956 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.2 percent compared with 2022.

Canadian railroads reported 96,878 carloads for the week, up 6.9 percent, and 69,605 intermodal units, down 5.9 percent compared with the same week in 2022. For the first 45 weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 7,174,607 carloads, containers and trailers, down 3.3 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 16,823 carloads for the week, up 25.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 12,439 intermodal units, up 45.5 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 45 weeks of 2023 was 1,268,758 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 3.9 percent from the same point last year.