U.S. railroads log carload volume increase in Week 29

The slide in U.S. freight-rail traffic slowed the week ending July 23, with railroads logging 498,901 carloads and intermodal units, a 0.8% decrease compared with the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Carloads last week rose 1.1% to 232,565 units, while intermodal volume fell 2.5% to 266,336 containers and trailers.

Five of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks weekly posted increases compared with the same week in 2021. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 1,790 carloads to 12,559; coal, up 1,772 carloads to 67,719; and farm products excluding grain, and food, up 950 carloads to 15,627.

Commodity groups that posted decreases included metallic ores and metals, down 1,516 carloads to 21,601; petroleum and petroleum products, down 490 carloads to 10,038; and miscellaneous carloads, down 228 carloads to 9,468.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads posted 73,607 carloads for the week, down 2.2%, and 70,481 intermodal units, down 0.9%. Mexican railroads reported 21,891 carloads for the week, down 8.5% compared with the same week last year, and 16,111 intermodal units, down 7.1%.

For the first 29 weeks of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021:

• U.S. railroads reported 14,308,043 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.3%;

• Canadian railroads reported 4,151,626 carloads, containers and trailers, down 3.9%; and

• Mexican railroads reported 1,073,676 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 0.4%.