The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending February 3, 2024, as well as volumes for January 2024.
U.S. railroads originated 1,025,168 carloads in January 2024, down 7.2 percent, or 79,725 carloads, from January 2023. U.S. railroads also originated 1,206,014 containers and trailers in January 2024, up 5.5 percent, or 63,195 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in January 2024 were 2,231,182, down 0.7 percent, or 16,530 carloads and intermodal units from January 2023.
In January 2024, six of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with January 2023. These included: chemicals, up 4,298 carloads or 2.9 percent; petroleum & petroleum products, up 2,172 carloads or 4.5 percent; and primary metal products, up 1,447 carloads or 3.6 percent. Commodities that saw declines in January 2024 from January 2023 included: coal, down 40,542 carloads or 12.3 percent; crushed stone, sand & gravel, down 18,260 carloads or 19.5 percent; and grain, down 14,367 carloads or 12.8 percent.
“In January, severe winter weather significantly disrupted railroad and rail customer operations in much of the country,” said AAR economist Dan Keen. “Moreover, uncertainty remains in the economy, especially in sectors that are important to railroads, like manufacturing. Because of these factors, January is not necessarily a harbinger of what’s to come for rail traffic in the months ahead.”
Excluding coal, carloads were down 39,183 carloads, or 5.0 percent, to January 2024 from January 2023. Excluding coal and grain, carloads were down 24,816 carloads, or 3.7 percent.
Week Ending February 3, 2024
Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 491,697 carloads and intermodal units, up 11.6 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending February 3 were 222,213 carloads, up 6.3 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 269,484 containers and trailers, up 16.5 percent compared to 2023.
All of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included coal, up 4,641 carloads, to 62,779; motor vehicles and parts, up 2,297 carloads, to 15,455; and metallic ores and metals, up 1,096 carloads, to 19,457.
North American rail volume for the week ending February 3, 2024, on 10 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 328,148 carloads, up 4.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 352,559 intermodal units, up 15.4 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 680,707 carloads and intermodal units, up 10.0 percent. North American rail volume for the first five weeks of 2024 was 3,112,134 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.4 percent compared with 2023.
Canadian railroads reported 91,685 carloads for the week, up 1.8 percent, and 72,643 intermodal units, up 12.7 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first five weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 743,641 carloads, containers, and trailers, down 5.8 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 14,250 carloads for the week, up 0.4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,432 intermodal units, up 8.6 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first five weeks of 2024 was 137,311 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 16.1 percent from the same point last year.
To view the Rail Traffic charts, click here.
