AAR reports rail traffic for the week ending November 09, 2024

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending November 9, 2024.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 519,115 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.5 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending November 9 were 224,722 carloads, down 3.7 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 294,393 containers and trailers, up 11.7 percent compared to 2023.

Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included farm products excl. grain, and food, up 1,659 carloads, to 18,452; chemicals, up 1,257 carloads, to 31,935; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 978 carloads, to 11,084. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 9,941 carloads, to 58,809; nonmetallic minerals, down 2,114 carloads, to 29,186; and motor vehicles and parts, down 1,267 carloads, to 15,276.

For the first 45 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 9,824,787 carloads, down 3.1 percent from the same point last year; and 11,916,081 intermodal units, up 9.0 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 45 weeks of 2024 was 21,740,868 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.2 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending November 9, 2024, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 333,683 carloads, down 3.0 percent compared with the same week last year, and 349,527 intermodal units, up 1.5 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 683,210 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.8 percent. North American rail volume for the first 45 weeks of 2024 was 30,178,530 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3 percent compared with 2023.

Canadian railroads reported 93,617 carloads for the week, down 3.6 percent, and 41,958 intermodal units, down 39.6 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 45 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 7,148,600 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.4 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 15,344 carloads for the week, up 11.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 13,176 intermodal units, up 17.7 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 45 weeks of 2024 was 1,289,062 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.3 percent from the same point last year.