The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending February 4, 2023.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 449,586 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.9 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending February 4 were 216,700 carloads, down 0.9 percent compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 232,886 containers and trailers, down 2.9 percent compared to 2022.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 2,725 carloads, to 13,155; petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,578 carloads, to 10,727; and nonmetallic minerals, up 1,445 carloads, to 25,578. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2022 included coal, down 6,723 carloads, to 58,224; grain, down 1,236 carloads, to 22,244; and chemicals, down 1,182 carloads, to 32,743.
For the first five weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 1,140,396 carloads, up 1.6 percent from the same point last year; and 1,152,814 intermodal units, down 7.1 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first five weeks of 2023 was 2,293,210 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 3.0 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending February 4, 2023, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 314,555 carloads, up 1.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 305,639 intermodal units, down 4.0 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 620,194 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.3 percent. North American rail volume for the first five weeks of 2023 was 3,171,238 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.9 percent compared with 2022.
Canadian railroads reported 77,460 carloads for the week, up 11.4 percent, and 57,745 intermodal units, down 8.7 percent compared with the same week in 2022. For the first five weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 693,084 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 6.2 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 20,395 carloads for the week, down 5.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 15,008 intermodal units, down 1.2 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first five weeks of 2023 was 184,944 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 0.1 percent from the same point last year.
To view the weekly rail charts, click here.
