The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending September 12, 2020.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 474,785 carloads and intermodal units, down 9.9 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending September 12 were 214,142 carloads, down 15.2 percent compared with the same week in 2019, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 260,643 containers and trailers, down 5 percent compared to 2019.
One of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2019. It was grain, up 3,098 carloads, to 21,550. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2019 included coal, down 20,518 carloads, to 60,278; nonmetallic minerals, down 9,007 carloads, to 26,760; and metallic ores and metals, down 4,648 carloads, to 18,157.
For the first 37 weeks of 2020, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 7,884,697 carloads, down 15.8 percent from the same point last year; and 9,158,459 intermodal units, down 6.9 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 37 weeks of 2020 was 17,043,156 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 11.2 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending September 12, 2020, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 309,596 carloads, down 12.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 348,700 intermodal units, down 5.9 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 658,296 carloads and intermodal units, down 9.2 percent. North American rail volume for the first 37 weeks of 2020 was 23,480,706 carloads and intermodal units, down 10.5 percent compared with 2019.
Canadian railroads reported 77,003 carloads for the week, down 5 percent, and 70,777 intermodal units, down 5.5 percent compared with the same week in 2019. For the first 37 weeks of 2020, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,159,513 carloads, containers, and trailers, down 8.1 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 18,451 carloads for the week, down 11.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 17,280 intermodal units, down 19.1 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 37 weeks of 2020 was 1,278,037 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 9.6 percent from the same point last year.
To view the U.S. Weekly Rail traffic charts, click here.
