The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 27, 2023.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 480,998 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.8 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending May 27 were 235,307 carloads, up 3.5 percent compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 245,691 containers and trailers, down 11.6 percent compared to 2022.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included metallic ores and metals, up 4,429 carloads, to 25,026; nonmetallic minerals, up 3,254 carloads, to 35,151; and motor vehicles and parts, up 2,385 carloads, to 16,047. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2022 included miscellaneous carloads, down 1,177 carloads, to 9,795; grain, down 769 carloads, to 19,798; and coal, down 717 carloads, to 63,220.
For the first 21 weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 4,720,543 carloads, up 0.7 percent from the same point last year; and 4,904,383 intermodal units, down 10.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 21 weeks of 2023 was 9,624,926 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 5.5 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending May 27, 2023, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 337,575 carloads, up 1.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 331,924 intermodal units, down 9.3 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 669,499 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.1 percent. North American rail volume for the first 21 weeks of 2023 was 13,563,680 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.1 percent compared with 2022.
Canadian railroads reported 86,249 carloads for the week, down 4.1 percent, and 75,251 intermodal units, down 3.6 percent compared with the same week in 2022. For the first 21 weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,360,607 carloads, containers, and trailers, down 0.6 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 16,019 carloads for the week, up 9.0 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,982 intermodal units, up 7.3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 21 weeks of 2023 was 578,147 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.7 percent from the same point last year.
To view the U.S. Rail Traffic, click here.
