U.S. freight-rail volume rose in July

U.S. railroads' carload and intermodal volume rose 3.4% to 2,393,009 units last month compared to July 2023's total, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Total carloads declined 2.1% to 1,073,191, while the number of containers and trailers rose 8.4% to 1,319,818.

Twelve of the 20 carload commodity categories that AAR tracks monthly posted gains, including grain, up 26.5%; chemicals, up 3.1%; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 8.5%.

Commodities that logged decreases included coal at 11%, crushed stone, sand a gravel at 10.6%, and motor vehicles and parts at 9.1%

U.S. carload traffic through the first seven months of the year totaled 6,642,565, down 4.1%. But intermodal volume reached 7,962,928 units, up 8.6%.

For just the week ending Aug. 3, U.S. railroads reported 498,807 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.7% year over year. Carloads dipped 1.2% to 219,568 units while intermodal volume climbed 11.8% to 279,239 units.

For the week, Canadian railroads reported 90,465 carloads, up 1.6%, and 64,067 intermodal units, down 10.6%. Mexican railroads reported 12,487 carloads, down 17.3%, and 8,207 intermodal units, down 15.8%.