The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending April 8, 2023.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 451,336 carloads and intermodal units, down 11.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending April 8 were 225,669 carloads, down 4.6 percent compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 225,667 containers and trailers, down 17.0 percent compared to 2022.
Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 977 carloads, to 14,331; petroleum and petroleum products, up 543 carloads, to 9,861; and metallic ores and metals, up 529 carloads, to 21,230. Commodity groups that posted a decrease compared with the same week in 2022 included grain, down 4,158 carloads, to 20,105; coal, down 3,655 carloads, to 62,070; and chemicals, down 3,615 carloads, to 31,525.
For the first 14 weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 3,219,161 carloads, down 0.1 percent from the same point last year; and 3,249,230 intermodal units, down 10.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 14 weeks of 2023 was 6,468,391 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 5.8 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending April 8, 2023, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 325,473 carloads, down 4.0 percent compared with the same week last year, and 293,300 intermodal units, down 19.4 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 618,773 carloads and intermodal units, down 12.0 percent. North American rail volume for the first 14 weeks of 2023 was 8,950,311 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.9 percent compared with 2022.
Canadian railroads reported 78,797 carloads for the week, down 0.3 percent, and 58,922 intermodal units, down 21.9 percent compared with the same week in 2022. For the first 14 weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,954,736 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 0.9 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 21,007 carloads for the week, down 11.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 8,711 intermodal units, down 47.8 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 14 weeks of 2023 was 527,184 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.4 percent from the same point last year.
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