Weekly rail traffic for the week ending July 15, 2023

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 15, 2023.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 478,153 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.4 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending July 15 were 225,609 carloads, up 0.9 percent compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 252,544 containers and trailers, down 5.3 percent compared to 2022.

Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 1,828 carloads, to 14,678; nonmetallic minerals, up 1,441 carloads, to 34,008; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 581 carloads, to 9,857. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2022 were grain, down 1,926 carloads, to 16,032; forest products, down 677 carloads, to 7,977; and coal, down 3 carloads, to 65,631.

For the first 28 weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 6,266,430 carloads, up 0.5 percent from the same point last year; and 6,576,896 intermodal units, down 10.0 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 28 weeks of 2023 was 12,843,326 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 5.2 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending July 15, 2023, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 329,965 carloads, up 0.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 313,660 intermodal units, down 12.0 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 643,625 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.8 percent. North American rail volume for the first 28 weeks of 2023 was 18,028,356 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.2 percent compared with 2022.

Canadian railroads reported 87,054 carloads for the week, up 1.2 percent, and 49,682 intermodal units, down 36.3 percent compared with the same week in 2022. For the first 28 weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,408,662 carloads, containers, and trailers, down 2.7 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 17,302 carloads for the week, up 0.0 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,434 intermodal units, down 4.6 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 28 weeks of 2023 was 776,368 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 3.8 percent from the same point last year.