The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 11, 2023.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 458,629 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.6 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending March 11 were 229,246 carloads, down 1.5 percent compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 229,383 containers and trailers, down 13.0 percent compared to 2022.
Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They were motor vehicles and parts, up 1,333 carloads, to 15,271; nonmetallic minerals, up 1,259 carloads, to 31,720; and farm products excl. grain, and food, up 164 carloads, to 17,238. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2022 included chemicals, down 2,915 carloads, to 33,013; grain, down 1,080 carloads, to 20,174; and metallic ores and metals, down 1,078 carloads, to 18,962.
For the first 10 weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 2,296,099 carloads, down 0.1 percent from the same point last year; and 2,330,068 intermodal units, down 9.0 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 10 weeks of 2023 was 4,626,167 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 4.8 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending March 11, 2023, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 330,767 carloads, up 1.0 percent compared with the same week last year, and 303,627 intermodal units, down 12.7 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 634,394 carloads and intermodal units, down 6.1 percent. North American rail volume for the first 10 weeks of 2023 was 6,384,871 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.9 percent compared with 2022.
Canadian railroads reported 79,559 carloads for the week, up 6.7 percent, and 59,978 intermodal units, down 12.7 percent compared with the same week in 2022. For the first 10 weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,389,650 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 3.1 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 21,962 carloads for the week, up 7.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 14,266 intermodal units, down 6.5 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 10 weeks of 2023 was 369,054 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 0.3 percent from the same point last year.
To view the weekly rail charts, click here.
