Today, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending December 28, 2024.
This week’s total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 389,700 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.1 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending December 28 were 184,028 carloads, up 1.1 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 205,672 containers and trailers, up 9.0 percent compared to 2023.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included miscellaneous carloads, up 2,130 carloads, to 7,448; grain, up 1,727 carloads, to 19,478; and nonmetallic minerals, up 1,102 carloads, to 19,822. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included metallic ores and metals, down 1,732 carloads, to 16,265; coal, down 1,265 carloads, to 50,787; and forest products, down 485 carloads, to 7,214.
For the first 52 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 11,336,412 carloads, down 2.9 percent from the same point last year, and 13,842,174 intermodal units, up 9.3 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 52 weeks of 2024 was 25,178,586 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.4 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending December 28, 2024, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 275,294 carloads, up 1.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 266,932 intermodal units, up 4.1 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 542,226 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.6 percent. North American rail volume for the first 52 weeks of 2024 was 34,885,113 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3 percent compared with 2023.
Canadian railroads reported 79,750 carloads for the week, up 5.5 percent, and 52,159 intermodal units, down 7.1 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 52 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 8,221,597 carloads, containers, and trailers, down 1.0 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 11,516 carloads for the week, down 19.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 9,101 intermodal units, down 20.7 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 52 weeks of 2024 was 1,484,930 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.4 percent from the same point last year.
