The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for July 20, 2024.

This week’s total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 480,083 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.4 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending July 20 were 214,348, down 3.4 percent from the same week in 2023, while the U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 265,735 containers and trailers, up 5.8 percent from 2023.

Five of the ten carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included grain, up 2,387 carloads, to 17,300; petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,591 carloads, to 10,745; and farm products, excluding grain, and food, up 1,413 carloads, to 16,880. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 6,278 carloads, to 57,906; nonmetallic minerals, down 3,825 carloads, to 30,758; and motor vehicles and parts, down 2,175 carloads, to 12,466.

For the first 29 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 6,194,152 carloads, down 4.4 percent from last year, and 7,404,038 intermodal units, up 8.4 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 29 weeks of 2024 was 13,598,190 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 2.2 percent compared to the previous year.

North American rail volume for the week ending July 20, 2024, on ten reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 317,607 carloads, down 4.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 346,231 intermodal units, up 3.9 percent compared to the previous year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 663,838 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.1 percent. North American rail volume for the first 29 weeks of 2024 was 19,112,113 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3 percent compared with 2023.

Canadian railroads reported 86,987 carloads for the week, down 3.3 percent, and 68,443 intermodal units, down 0.6 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 29 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,654,977 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 1.9 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 16,272 carloads for the week, down 15.9 percent compared to last year, and 12,053 intermodal units, down 7.0 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 29 weeks of 2024 was 858,946 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 5.5 percent from last year.

To view the traffic charts, click here.