AAR reports rail traffic for the week ending November 23, 2024

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending November 23, 2024.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 520,798 carloads and intermodal units, up 25.6 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending November 23 were 230,036 carloads, up 17.6 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 290,762 containers and trailers, up 32.8 percent compared to 2023.

Nine of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included nonmetallic minerals, up 8,383 carloads, to 29,904; chemicals, up 6,228 carloads, to 33,785; and grain, up 5,705 carloads, to 23,647. One commodity group posted a decrease compared with the same week in 2023: coal, down 2,934 carloads, to 58,189.

For the first 47 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 10,278,482 carloads, down 2.7 percent from the same point last year; and 12,500,070 intermodal units, up 9.5 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 47 weeks of 2024 was 22,778,552 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.6 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending November 23, 2024, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 338,963 carloads, up 13.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 372,927 intermodal units, up 25.1 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 711,890 carloads and intermodal units, up 19.1 percent. North American rail volume for the first 47 weeks of 2024 was 31,571,661 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.5 percent compared with 2023.

Canadian railroads reported 94,750 carloads for the week, up 3.7 percent, and 69,364 intermodal units, up 0.2 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 47 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 7,448,620 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.7 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 14,177 carloads for the week, up 13.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 12,801 intermodal units, up 28.8 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 47 weeks of 2024 was 1,344,489 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.9 percent from the same point last year.