U.S railroads report traffic decrease in Week 10

U.S. railroads logged a 4.7% decrease in volumes for the week ending March 12 compared with the same period in 2021, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Total U.S. carloads added up to 232,388 units, a slight increase of 0.9%, while intermodal volume fell 9.1% to 263,746 containers and trailers. Volume for the week totaled 496,134 carloads and intermodal units.

Four of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks weekly posted an increase. They included chemicals, up 5,958 carloads to 35,933; nonmetallic minerals, up 1,339 carloads to 30,466; and coal, up 485 carloads to 64,589.

Commodity groups that posted decreases for the week included grain, down 2,726 carloads to 21,213; petroleum and petroleum products, down 1,374 carloads to 10,005; and motor vehicles and parts, down 900 carloads to 13,936.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads posted 74,498 carloads for the week, down 10%, and 68,865 intermodal units, down 7.6%, compared with the same week in 2021. Mexican railroads hauled 21,712 carloads, up 12.3%, and 16,477 intermodal units, up 7.7%.

For the first 10 weeks of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021:
• U.S. railroads reported 4,850,665 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.6%;
• Canadian railroads reported 1,348,553 carloads, containers and trailers, down 10.2%; and
• Mexican railroads reported 373,117 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.3%.