AAR reports rail traffic for the week ending October 19, 2024

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending October 19, 2024.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 510,730 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.1 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending October 19 were 223,278 carloads, down 4.6 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 287,452 containers and trailers, up 6.0 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 3,052 carloads, to 23,372; miscellaneous carloads, up 1,015 carloads, to 9,992; and farm products excl. grain, and food, up 898 carloads, to 18,082. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 8,261 carloads, to 58,350; nonmetallic minerals, down 3,771 carloads, to 30,281; and metallic ores and metals, down 3,551 carloads, to 18,884.

For the first 42 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 9,142,601 carloads, down 3.3 percent from the same point last year; and 11,042,994 intermodal units, up 9.0 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 42 weeks of 2024 was 20,185,595 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.1 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending October 19, 2024, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 333,360 carloads, down 4.4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 368,573 intermodal units, up 3.1 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 701,933 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.6 percent. North American rail volume for the first 42 weeks of 2024 was 28,077,581 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3 percent compared with 2023.

Canadian railroads reported 95,182 carloads for the week, down 2.1 percent, and 67,489 intermodal units, down 7.1 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 42 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,677,340 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.0 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 14,900 carloads for the week, down 13.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 13,632 intermodal units, down 1.5 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 42 weeks of 2024 was 1,214,646 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.7 percent from the same point last year.