The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending January 23, 2021.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 529,030 carloads and intermodal units, up 9 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending January 23 were 230,979 carloads, down 0.7 percent compared with the same week in 2020, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 298,051 containers and trailers, up 17.8 percent compared to 2020.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2020. They included grain, up 5,481 carloads, to 27,295; chemicals, up 846 carloads, to 32,140; and forest products, up 603 carloads, to 10,192. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2020 included coal, down 4,949 carloads, to 63,474; nonmetallic minerals, down 2,672 carloads, to 25,233; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 1,139 carloads, to 12,522.
For the first three weeks of 2021, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 698,933 carloads, down 1.4 percent from the same point last year; and 883,897 intermodal units, up 13.6 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first three weeks of 2021 was 1,582,830 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 6.5 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending January 23, 2021, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 334,360 carloads, up 0.4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 389,102 intermodal units, up 14.4 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 723,462 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.4 percent. North American rail volume for the first three weeks of 2021 was 2,159,271 carloads and intermodal units, up 6.3 percent compared with 2020.
Canadian railroads reported 82,307 carloads for the week, up 1.6 percent, and 73,769 intermodal units, up 7.2 percent compared with the same week in 2020. For the first three weeks of 2021, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 468,093 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 8.8 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 21,074 carloads for the week, up 7.4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 17,282 intermodal units, down 5.9 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first three weeks of 2021 was 108,348 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 4.8 percent from the same point last year.
