The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 7, 2021.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 509,607 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending August 7 were 234,336 carloads, up 6.3 percent compared with the same week in 2020, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 275,271 containers and trailers, down 0.6 percent compared to 2020.
For some rail traffic categories, percentage changes for the current week compared with the same week in 2020 are inflated because of the widespread shutdowns — and a subsequent large reduction in rail volumes — that impacted many economic sectors last year at this time.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2020. They included metallic ores and metals, up 7,424 carloads, to 23,193; coal, up 7,301 carloads, to 66,838; and nonmetallic minerals, up 3,131 carloads, to 33,759. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2020 included grain, down 3,730 carloads, to 18,190; motor vehicles and parts, down 2,937 carloads, to 13,230; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 1,106 carloads, to 10,188.
For the first 31 weeks of 2021, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 7,141,531 carloads, up 9 percent from the same point last year; and 8,673,507 intermodal units, up 14.6 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 31 weeks of 2021 was 15,815,038 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 12 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending August 7, 2021, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 325,978 carloads, up 4.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 358,442 intermodal units, down 1.5 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 684,420 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.1 percent. North American rail volume for the first 31 weeks of 2021 was 21,562,185 carloads and intermodal units, up 10.7 percent compared with 2020.
Canadian railroads reported 72,235 carloads for the week, up 2.1 percent, and 68,578 intermodal units, down 1 percent compared with the same week in 2020. For the first 31 weeks of 2021, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,604,192 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 7.1 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 19,407 carloads for the week, down 11.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 14,593 intermodal units, down 16.6 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 31 weeks of 2021 was 1,142,955 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 7.2 percent from the same point last year.
To view the U.S. Rail Charts, click here.
