U.S. rail traffic dips again in Week 40

U.S. railroads logged 506,642 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Oct. 9, a 2.6% decrease compared with the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Total carloads for the week were 239,821 units, up 4%, while intermodal volume was 266,821 containers and trailers, down 7.8%.

Six of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks weekly posted an increase. They included coal, up 5,736 carloads to 67,680; metallic ores and metals, up 4,896 carloads to 22,369; and nonmetallic minerals, up 2,606 carloads to 33,087.

Commodity groups that posted decreases included grain, down 3,483 carloads to 24,037; motor vehicles and parts, down 3,047 carloads to 13,058; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 837 carloads to 9,395.

Meanwhile, Canadian reported 76,424 carloads for the week, down 4.2%, and 73,414 intermodal units, down 7.2%. Mexican railroads logged 19,108 carloads during the period, down 8.8%, and 15,756 intermodal units, down 8.8%.

For the first 40 weeks of 2021 compared with the same week in 2020:

• U.S. railroads reported 20,328,389 carloads and intermodal units, up 8.7%;

• Canadian railroads reported 5,932,524 carloads, containers and trailers, up 4.7%; and

• Mexican railroads reported 1,444,924 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 4.1%.