Rail traffic for the week ending February 21, 2024

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending February 17, 2024.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 474,226 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.7 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending February 17 were 220,529 carloads, down 0.6 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 253,697 containers and trailers, up 7.9 percent compared to 2023.

Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included miscellaneous carloads, up 1,983 carloads, to 9,616; chemicals, up 1,543 carloads, to 33,899; and motor vehicles and parts, up 1,187 carloads, to 14,849. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 were coal, down 7,122 carloads, to 59,534; nonmetallic minerals, down 652 carloads, to 27,126; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 122 carloads, to 9,467.

For the first seven weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 1,466,059 carloads, down 5.6 percent from the same point last year; and 1,724,189 intermodal units, up 6.7 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first seven weeks of 2024 was 3,190,248 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 0.7 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending February 17, 2024, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 331,196 carloads, down 1.0 percent compared with the same week last year, and 337,305 intermodal units, up 7.6 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 668,501 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.2 percent. North American rail volume for the first seven weeks of 2024 was 4,443,897 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.2 percent compared with 2023.

Canadian railroads reported 92,737 carloads for the week, down 3.0 percent, and 70,767 intermodal units, up 5.0 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first seven weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,069,472 carloads, containers and trailers, down 4.0 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 17,930 carloads for the week, up 5.0 percent compared with the same week last year, and 12,841 intermodal units, up 19.2 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first seven weeks of 2024 was 184,177 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 6.7 percent from the same point last year.