U.S. rail volumes inch up in Week 23

U.S. freight-rail volumes rose 4.1% to 489,916 carloads, containers and trailers in the week ending June 8 compared with traffic during the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads.

Total carloads for the week declined 4.4% to 218,234, while intermodal volume soared 12.2% to 271,682 containers and trailers, according to an AAR press release.

Six of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks every week posted increases. They included grain, up 14.2% to 18,912 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, up 19.8% to 11,102; and farm products excluding grain and food, up 9.8% to 17,436.

Commodity groups that logged decreases included coal, -15.8% to 54,797 carloads; nonmetallic minerals, -11.5% to 30,879; and metallic ores and metals, -9% to 19,224.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads logged 89,664 carloads for the week, a 3.7% increase; and 70,833 intermodal units, a 2.2% decrease. Mexican railroads reported 17,478 carloads, a 10% decrease, and 12,350 intermodal units, a 4.7% decline. 

For the first 23 weeks of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023:
• U.S. railroads reported 10,741,890 carloads and intermodal units, up 2%;
• Canadian railroads logged 3,705,477 carloads, containers and trailers, up 0.7%; and 
• Mexican railroads posted 679,997 carloads, containers and trailers, up 8.6%.