U.S. rail volume rose 4% in Week 46

U.S. freight-rail traffic levels rose 4% to 501,416 carloads, containers and trailers for the week ending Nov. 18 compared with volume in the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Railroads hauled 237,416 carloads during the week, a 3.8% increase, and 264,000 containers and trailers, a 4.1% increase.

Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks every week posted increases. They included coal, up 4.8%; chemicals, 8.5%; and motor vehicles and parts, 12%.

The three commodity groups that posted decreases were grain, -1.9%; miscellaneous, -5.5%; and metallic ores and metals, -0.3%.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads logged 98,560 carloads during the week, a 3.7% increase; and 66,904 intermodal units, an 8.8% decrease. Mexican railroads reported 15,392 carloads, a 3.6% increase, and 12,097 intermodal units, a 17.8% increase.

For the first 46 weeks of 2023 compared with the same period in 2022:
• U.S. railroads posted 21,585,007 carloads and intermodal units, a 3.4% decrease;
• Canadian railroads reported 7,340,071 carloads, containers and trailers, a 3.3% decrease; and
• Mexican railroads logged 1,296,247 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.1% increase.