Rail traffic for the week ending July 10, 2021

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 10, 2021.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 451,825 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.6 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending July 10 were 210,297 carloads, up 4.3 percent compared with the same week in 2020, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 241,528 containers and trailers, down 2.4 percent compared to 2020.

Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2020. They included metallic ores and metals, up 8,599 carloads, to 22,486; coal, up 6,575 carloads, to 58,469; and chemicals, up 923 carloads, to 31,220. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2020 included motor vehicles and parts, down 2,531 carloads, to 10,316; grain, down 2,120 carloads, to 17,136; and miscellaneous carloads, down 1,403 carloads, to 7,255.

For the first 27 weeks of 2021, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 6,212,822 carloads, up 9.3 percent from the same point last year; and 7,573,595 intermodal units, up 16.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 27 weeks of 2021 was 13,786,417 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 13.3 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending July 10, 2021, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 295,096 carloads, up 2.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 309,376 intermodal units, down 5.7 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 604,472 carloads and intermodal units, down 2 percent. North American rail volume for the first 27 weeks of 2021 was 18,808,728 carloads and intermodal units, up 11.7 percent compared with 2020.

Canadian railroads reported 64,203 carloads for the week, down 6.2 percent, and 51,982 intermodal units, down 20.9 percent compared with the same week in 2020. For the first 27 weeks of 2021, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,037,939 carloads, containers and trailers, up 8.1 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 20,596 carloads for the week, up 10.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 15,866 intermodal units, up 5.2 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 27 weeks of 2021 was 984,372 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 5.9 percent from the same point last year.