The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending September 7, 2024.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 479,179 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.3 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending September 7 were 222,201 carloads, up 2.2 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 256,978 containers and trailers, up 12.1 percent compared to 2023.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included grain, up 4,920 carloads, to 19,552; chemicals, up 3,269 carloads, to 32,669; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,033 carloads, to 10,778. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 4,024 carloads, to 63,754; motor vehicles and parts, down 1,248 carloads, to 13,663; and forest products, down 338 carloads, to 7,511.
For the first 36 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 7,780,022 carloads, down 3.4 percent from the same point last year; and 9,351,417 intermodal units, up 9.4 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 36 weeks of 2024 was 17,131,439 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.2 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending September 7, 2024, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 323,723 carloads, down 0.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 334,792 intermodal units, up 9.2 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 658,515 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.4 percent. North American rail volume for the first 36 weeks of 2024 was 23,874,410 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.5 percent compared with 2023.
Canadian railroads reported 87,045 carloads for the week, down 2.9 percent, and 65,938 intermodal units, up 1.7 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 36 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,691,447 carloads, containers and trailers, up 0.3 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 14,477 carloads for the week, down 13.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,876 intermodal units, down 6.0 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 36 weeks of 2024 was 1,051,524 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 5.1 percent from the same point last year.
