U.S. railroads report carload volume increase in Week 41

U.S. freight-rail traffic ticked up slightly — 0.7% — to 500,304 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending Oct. 15 compared with the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Total carloads climbed 3.2% to 237,263 units, while total intermodal volume dipped 1.6% to 263,041 containers and trailers. 

Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted increases during the week. They included coal, up 8,961 carloads to 66,914; motor vehicles and parts, up 1,454 carloads to 14,839; and nonmetallic minerals, up 1,240 carloads to 33,404.

Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2021 included chemicals, down 1,440 carloads to 31,288; miscellaneous carloads, down 1,420 carloads to 8,161; and forest products, down 1,107 carloads to 8,786.

Also during the week, Canadian railroads logged 84,165 carloads, a 6.1% increase, and 70,908 intermodal units, a 6.2% increase. Mexican railroads posted 22,979 carloads for the week, a 3.6% increase, and 16,896 intermodal units, a 0.3% decrease.

For the first 41 weeks of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021:

• U.S. railroads reported 20,273,573 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.6%;

• Canadian railroads reported 5,967,749 carloads, containers and trailers, down 1.9%; and

• Mexican railroads reported 1,546,053 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 4%.