U.S. railroads log carload, intermodal increases in Week 45

U.S. railroads reported a combined 497,348 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Nov. 11, a 3.4% increase compared with the same week in 2022, according to the Association of American Railroads data.

Total carloads for the week rose 2.3% to 233,745 units, while total containers and trailers climbed 4.4% to 263,603.

Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks every week posted increases. They included coal, up 2.7%; motor vehicles and parts, 11.5%; and metallic ores and metals, 8.4%.

The commodity groups that posted decreases were nonmetallic minerals, -3.6%; farm products excluding grain, and food, -0.7%; and chemicals, -0.3%.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads logged 96,878 carloads for the week, a 6.9% increase, and 69,605 intermodal units, a 5.9% decrease. Mexican railroads hauled 16,823 carloads for the week, a 25.9% increase, and 12,439 containers a trailers, a 45.5% increase.

For the first 45 weeks of 2023 compared with the same period in 2022:
• U.S. railroads reported  21,083,591 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.6%;
• Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 7,174,607 carloads, containers and trailers, down 3.3%; and
• Mexican railroads reported 1,268,758 carloads, containers and trailers, up 3.9%.