AAR reports rail traffic for the week ending April 15, 2023

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending April 15, 2023.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 468,197 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.4 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending April 15 were 234,066 carloads, up 5.8 percent compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 234,131 containers and trailers, down 12.8 percent compared to 2022.

Eight of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included nonmetallic minerals, up 3,445 carloads, to 33,677; motor vehicles and parts, up 2,408 carloads, to 14,871; and metallic ores and metals, up 2,195 carloads, to 22,835. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2022 were miscellaneous carloads, down 668 carloads, to 8,714; and forest products, down 272 carloads, to 9,311.

For the first 15 weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,453,227 carloads, up 0.2 percent from the same point last year; and 3,483,361 intermodal units, down 10.9 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 15 weeks of 2023 was 6,936,588 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 5.7 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending April 15, 2023, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 339,933 carloads, up 6.0 percent compared with the same week last year, and 311,134 intermodal units, down 12.3 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 651,067 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.6 percent. North American rail volume for the first 15 weeks of 2023 was 9,601,378 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.9 percent compared with 2022.

Canadian railroads reported 82,319 carloads for the week, up 9.0 percent, and 60,931 intermodal units, down 14.8 percent compared with the same week in 2022. For the first 15 weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,097,986 carloads, containers and trailers, up 0.7 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 23,548 carloads for the week, down 1.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 16,072 intermodal units, up 10.1 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 15 weeks of 2023 was 566,804 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.4 percent from the same point last year.