US freight-rail traffic decline continued in Week 29

U.S. freight-rail traffic continued to fall in the week ending July 22, with railroads logging 222,454 carloads, down 1.3%, and 251,282 containers and trailers, down 4.8%, compared with the same week a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Combined volumes were 473,736 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.2%.

Six of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks every week posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 17.2%; nonmetallic minerals, up 5.4% and metallic ores and metals, up 4.3%.

Commodity groups that posted decreases included grain, down 22.8%; coal, down 4.8%; and forest products, down 9.9%.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads reported 89,701 carloads for the week, up 4.8%; and 68,972 intermodal units, down 11.6%. Mexican railroads logged 17,907 carloads, up 1.9%, and 11,626 intermodal units, down 3.3%.

For the first 29 weeks of 2023 compared with the same period in 2022:
• U.S. railroads reported  13,317,062 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.1%;
• Canadian railroads logged  4,567,335 carloads, containers and trailers, down 2.7%; and
• Mexican railroads posted 805,913 carloads and intermodal containers, up 3.7%.