U.S. freight-rail traffic fell slightly in Week 36

U.S. railroads logged 464,261 carloads, trailers and containers in the week that ended Sept. 10, a 0.9% decrease compared with traffic during the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Total carload volume during the week fell 0.2% to 223,384 units, while intermodal volume declined 1.7% to 240,877 containers and trailers.

Five of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks every week posted increases. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 3,251 carloads to 13,373; grain, up 1,495 carloads to 18,214; and farm products excluding grain, and food, up 720 carloads to 15,695.

Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2021 included metallic ores and metals, down 2,451 carloads to 19,937; coal, down 2,432 carloads to 67,492; and miscellaneous, down 1,595 carloads to 8,265.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads posted 76,704 carloads for the week, up 3.7%, and 67,703 intermodal units, up 7.9%. Mexican railroads reported 21,901 carloads for the week, up 21.8%, and 15,276 intermodal units, up 18.1%.

For the first 36 weeks of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021:

• U.S. railroads reported 17,803,223 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.7%;

• Canadian railroads logged cumulative volume of 5,195,334 carloads, containers and trailers, down 2.5%; and

• Mexican railroads posted 1,342,848 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.7%.