AAR reports rail traffic for June and the week ending June 29, 2024

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 29, 2024, as well as volumes for June 2024.

U.S. railroads originated 885,864 carloads in June 2024, down 1.7 percent, or 15,019 carloads, from June 2023. U.S. railroads also originated 1,074,646 containers and trailers in June 2024, up 8.7 percent, or 85,896 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in June 2024 were 1,960,510, up 3.8 percent, or 70,877 carloads and intermodal units from June 2023.

In June 2024, 11 of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with June 2023. These included: grain, up 10,971 carloads or 17.5 percent; chemicals, up 8,273 carloads or 6.7 percent; and petroleum & petroleum products, up 5,291 carloads or 14.0 percent. Commodities that saw declines in June 2024 from June 2023 included: coal, down 26,273 carloads or 10.4 percent; crushed stone, sand & gravel, down 9,947 carloads or 11.2 percent; and all other carloads, down 4,016 carloads or 16.9 percent.

"June rail traffic continued the trends we've seen throughout the first half of 2024, with coal shipments declining and pulling total carloads below 2023 levels," said AAR Chief Economist Rand Ghayad. "However, this decline is balanced by growth in other sectors, including chemicals, motor vehicles, and intermodal shipments. Freight rail serves as a reflection of the broader economy, and the increase in motor vehicles and intermodal traffic indicates resilient consumer spending across various industries.”

Excluding coal, carloads were up 11,254 carloads, or 1.7 percent, in June 2024 from June 2023. Excluding coal and grain, carloads were up 283 carloads, or 0.0 percent.

Total U.S. carload traffic for the first six months of 2024 was 5,569,374 carloads, down 4.5 percent, or 263,003 carloads, from the same period last year; and 6,643,110 intermodal units, up 8.7 percent, or 529,349 containers and trailers, from last year.

Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 26 weeks of 2024 was 12,212,484 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 2.2 percent compared to last year.

Week Ending June 29, 2024

Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 491,899 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.9 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending June 29 were 224,775 carloads, up 1.1 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 267,124 containers and trailers, up 6.3 percent compared to 2023.

Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included grain, up 2,451 carloads, to 17,968; petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,837 carloads, to 10,620; and chemicals, up 1,787 carloads, to 34,337. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included nonmetallic minerals, down 2,836 carloads, to 31,599; coal, down 1,509 carloads, to 57,796; and miscellaneous carloads, down 494 carloads, to 9,244.

North American rail volume for the week ending June 29, 2024, on 10 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 334,500 carloads, up 2.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 347,441 intermodal units, up 4.6 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 681,941 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.3 percent. North American rail volume for the first 26 weeks of 2024 was 17,167,693 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.1 percent compared with 2023.

Canadian railroads reported 93,710 carloads for the week, up 7.8 percent, and 66,742 intermodal units, down 1.0 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 26 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,188,444 carloads, containers and trailers, up 0.9 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 16,015 carloads for the week, down 12.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 13,575 intermodal units, down 0.7 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 26 weeks of 2024 was 766,765 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 6.3 percent from the same point last year.