Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending May 11, 2024

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 11, 2024.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 468,748 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.6 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending May 11 were 209,319 carloads, down 7.0 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 259,429 containers and trailers, up 7.7 percent compared to 2023.

Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included chemicals, up 1,668 carloads, to 33,045; petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,505 carloads, to 10,996; and miscellaneous carloads, up 1,132 carloads, to 8,639. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 16,549 carloads, to 46,715; nonmetallic minerals, down 2,291 carloads, to 31,457; and grain, down 1,610 carloads, to 17,226.

For the first 19 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 4,045,438 carloads, down 4.9 percent from the same point last year; and 4,796,341 intermodal units, up 8.7 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 19 weeks of 2024 was 8,841,779 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 2.0 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending May 11, 2024, on 10 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 321,482 carloads, down 2.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 345,901 intermodal units, up 7.4 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 667,383 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3 percent. North American rail volume for the first 19 weeks of 2024 was 12,481,187 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.1 percent compared with 2023.

Canadian railroads reported 94,624 carloads for the week, up 5.1 percent, and 73,591 intermodal units, up 4.1 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 19 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,064,779 carloads, containers and trailers, up 0.9 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 17,539 carloads for the week, up 15.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 12,881 intermodal units, up 21.4 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 19 weeks of 2024 was 574,629 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 10.9 percent from the same point last year.