U.S. freight railroads post 1.7% traffic increase in Week 49

U.S. railroads hauled 499,094 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending Dec. 9, a 1.7% increase over volume in the same week a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads data.

The roads logged 229,424 carloads, a 2.5% decrease, and 269,670 containers and trailers, a 5.5% increase. Five of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks every week posted increases during the week. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 16.1%; chemicals, 6.4%; and metallic ores and metals, 6.1%.

Commodity groups that reported decreases included nonmetallic minerals, down 9.8%; grain, -8.1%; and coal, -7.8%;

Meanwhile, Canadian freight-rail volume for the week was 93,684 carloads for the week, a 1% increase, and 70,668 intermodal units, a 1.3% decrease year over year. Mexican railroads reported 15,800 carloads for the week, a 18.3% decrease, and 12,337 intermodal units, a 2.4% decrease.

For the first 49 weeks of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022:
• U.S. railroads reported 23,009,059 carloads and intermodal units, a 3% decrease;
• Canadian railroads logged 7,833,834 carloads, containers and trailers, a 3.1% decrease; and
• Mexican railroads posted 1,359,388 carloads, containers and trailers, a 2.6 percent increase.