AAR: U.S. carloads up, intermodal down in Week 24

U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 17 totaled 477,126 carloads and intermodal units, down 3% compared to the same week in 2022, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Carloads for the week totaled 228,724, up 1.2% year over year, while intermodal volume totaled 248,402 containers and trailers, down 6.5%.

Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks every week posted increases. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 21.9%; nonmetallic minerals, 8.1%; and metallic ores and metals, 11.8%. Commodity groups posting decreases were grain, down 23.6%; chemicals, -6.5%; and forest products, -3.2%.

Canadian railroads reported 86,539 carloads for the week, down 1.4%, and 72,939 intermodal units, down 4.9%. Mexican railroads logged 17,019 carloads, up 18.7%, and 12,017 intermodal units, up 15.6%.

For the first 24 weeks of 2023 compared with the same period in 2022:

• U.S. railroads carried 11,011,859 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.5%;
• Canadian railroads registered 3,836,993 carloads, containers and trailers, down 1%;
• Mexican railroads moved 652,005 carloads, containers and trailers, up 1.7%; and
• Combined North American volume totaled 15,500,857 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.1%.