U.S. rail volumes fell 5.4% in Week 19

U.S. freight-rail traffic decreased 5.4% to 505,120 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending May 14 compared with the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Railroads logged 230,128 carloads, down 5.2%, and 274,992 containers and trailers, down 5.5%.

Three of the 10 carload commodity groups that the AAR tracks weekly posted increases. They were nonmetallic minerals, up 1,570 carloads to 33,344; farm products excluding grain and food, up 993 carloads to 16,257; and motor vehicles and parts, up 625 carloads to 13,097.

Commodity groups that posted decreases included coal, down 4,317 carloads to 64,015; grain, down 3,561 carloads to 21,910; and metallic ores and metals, down 2,289 carloads to 21,426.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads reported 74,072 carloads, down 5.1%, and 76,004 intermodal units, down 1.8%. Mexican railroads reported 21,231 carloads, up 12.6%, and 16,157 intermodal units, up 9.5%.

For the first 19 weeks of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021:

• U.S. railroads hauled 9,370,059 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.5%;

• Canadian railroads handled 2,691,713 carloads, containers and trailers, down 6.7%; and

• Mexican railroads moved 709,043 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 3.1%.