The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 26, 2022.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 504,817 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending March 26 were 233,555 carloads, up 0.5 percent compared with the same week in 2021, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 271,262 containers and trailers, down 6.2 percent compared to 2021.
Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2021. They included coal, up 5,140 carloads, to 66,504; chemicals, up 2,206 carloads, to 34,264; and motor vehicles and parts, up 826 carloads, to 14,341. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2021 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 2,056 carloads, to 8,638; grain, down 1,999 carloads, to 22,516; and metallic ores and metals, down 1,449 carloads, to 20,492.
For the first 12 weeks of 2022, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,755,177 carloads, up 2.8 percent from the same point last year; and 3,099,667 intermodal units, down 7 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 12 weeks of 2022 was 5,854,844 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 2.7 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending March 26, 2022, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 330,751 carloads, down 1.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 352,549 intermodal units, down 6.9 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 683,300 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.5 percent. North American rail volume for the first 12 weeks of 2022 was 7,932,641 carloads and intermodal units, down 4 percent compared with 2021.
Canadian railroads reported 75,338 carloads for the week, down 10.5 percent, and 65,476 intermodal units, down 12.3 percent compared with the same week in 2021. For the first 12 weeks of 2022, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,628,488 carloads, containers and trailers, down 10.3 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 21,858 carloads for the week, up 9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 15,811 intermodal units, up 5 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 12 weeks of 2022 was 449,309 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 3.7 percent from the same point last year.
