North American railroads report carload, intermodal volume increases in Week 29

U.S. weekly rail traffic climbed 4.6% to 503,219 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending July 24 compared with the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Total carloads for the week were 230,095 units, up 7.1%, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 273,124 containers and trailers, up 2.6%.

Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks weekly posted an increase compared with the same week in 2020. They included coal, up 8,411 carloads to 65,945; metallic ores and metals, up 7,662 carloads to 23,124; and nonmetallic minerals, up 2,162 carloads to 33,115.

Commodity groups that posted decreases were motor vehicles and parts, down 4,390 carloads to 10,765; farm products excluding grain, and food, down 1,722 carloads to 14,679; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 309 carloads, to 10,530.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads reported 75,240 carloads for the week, up 3.3%, and 71,170 intermodal units, up 0.8% compared with the same week in 2020. Mexican railroads reported 21,750 carloads, up 15.7%, and 16,137 intermodal units, up 14.4%.

For the first 29 weeks of 2021 compared with the same period in 2020:
• U.S. railroads reported 14,802,891 carloads and intermodal units, up 12.7%;
• Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 4,318,114 carloads, containers and trailers, up 7.4%; and
• Mexican railroads reported 1,059,550 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 6.4%.