US rail traffic drops again in Week 23

U.S. freight-rail traffic in the week ending June 10 totaled 471,131 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.9% compared with traffic in the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Carloads for the week totaled 228,988, up 0.6%, while intermodal volume totaled 242,153 containers and trailers, down 11.2%.

Six of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks every week posted increases. They included nonmetallic minerals, up 7.3%; motor vehicles and parts, up 16.4%; and metallic ores and metals, up 3.9%. Groups posting decreases included grain, down 17.1%; coal, -1.3%; and forest products, -3.5%.

Canadian railroads reported 86,190 carloads for the week, down 3.9%, and 72,665 intermodal units, down 9.5%. Mexican railroads logged 17,977 carloads, up 26%, and 11,320 intermodal units, up 12.5%.

Through the first 23 weeks of 2023 compared with the same period in 2022:

• U.S. railroads carried 10,534,733 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.6%;
• Canadian railroads carried 3,677,515 carloads, containers and trailers, down 1%; and
• Mexican railroads carried 622,969 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.1%.