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1/6/2025
In the final full week of 2024 ending Dec. 28, U.S. freight railroads moved 389,700 carloads and intermodal units, a 5.1% increase compared with traffic in the same week in 2023, according to Association of American Railroads data.
The number of carloads totaled 184,028, up 1.1%, while intermodal volume total 205,672 containers and trailers, up 9%. Six of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks every week posted an increase. They included miscellaneous carloads, up 40.1% to 7,448 carloads; grain, up 9.7% to 19,478; and nonmetallic minerals, up 5.9% to 19,822.
Commodity groups that posted decreases included metallic ores and metals, down 9.6% to 16,265 carloads; coal, down 2.4% to 50,787; and forest products, down 6.3% to 7,214. Canadian railroads during the week logged 79,750 carloads, up 5.5%, and 52,159 intermodal units, down 7.1%. Mexican railroads reported 11,516 carloads, down 19.3%, and 9,101 intermodal units, down 20.7%.
For the 52 weeks of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023:• U.S. railroads reported 25,178,586 carloads and intermodal units up 3.4%;• Canadian railroads logged 8,221,597 carloads, containers and trailers, down 1%;• Mexican railroads posted 1,484,930 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4%; and• North American freight railroads combined hauled 34,885,113 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3%.