U.S. Rail Traffic for the Week Ending August 10, 2024
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 10, 2024.
This week’s total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 496,509 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending August 10 were 222,039 carloads, down 0.9 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 274,470 containers and trailers, up 10.6 percent compared to 2023.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included grain, up 3,866 carloads, to 18,402; chemicals, up 2,969 carloads, to 32,959; and farm products excl. grain, and food, up 546 carloads, to 16,193. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 7,633 carloads, to 61,031; nonmetallic minerals, down 1,295 carloads, to 31,849; and metallic ores and metals, down 906 carloads, to 19,432.
For the first 32 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 6,864,604 carloads, down 4.0 percent from the same point last year; and 8,237,398 intermodal units, up 8.7 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 32 weeks of 2024 was 15,102,002 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 2.5 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending August 10, 2024, on 10 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 326,804 carloads, down 0.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 353,768 intermodal units, up 7.7 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 680,572 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.7 percent. North American rail volume for the first 32 weeks of 2024 was 21,143,021 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3 percent compared with 2023.
Canadian railroads reported 89,620 carloads for the week, up 2.5 percent, and 66,976 intermodal units, down 5.5 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 32 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,114,967 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 1.4 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 15,145 carloads for the week, down 6.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 12,322 intermodal units, up 27.9 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 32 weeks of 2024 was 926,052 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 3.3 percent from the same point last year.
