Week 41: U.S. rail traffic total fell 4.2 percent

U.S. weekly rail traffic was 496,983 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Oct. 16, a 4.2% decrease compared with the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Total carloads rose 1.2% to 229,730 units, while total intermodal volume fell 8.5% to 267,253 containers and trailers.

Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2020. They included metallic ores and metals, up 3,471 carloads to 21,990; chemicals, up 3,000 carloads to 32,721; and nonmetallic minerals, up 1,157 carloads to 32,210.

Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2020 included coal, down 2,493 carloads to 57,772; motor vehicles and parts, down 2,260 carloads to 13,374; and miscellaneous carloads, down 798 carloads to 9,601.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads logged 79,042 carloads for the week, down 1.7%, and 66,873 intermodal units, down 14.3%. Mexican railroads posted 20,112 carloads for the week, down 5.8%, and 15,889 intermodal units, down 3.3%.

For the first 41 weeks of 2021 compared with the same period in 2020:
• U.S. railroads reported 20,825,372 carloads and intermodal units, up 8.3%;
• Canadian railroads reported 6,078,439 carloads, containers and trailers, up 4.4%; and
• Mexican railroads reported 1,480,925 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 3.8%.