AAR: Carloads Down, Intermodal Up for Week 11

U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 16, 2024 (Week 11) was up 6.7% from the prior-year period, as intermodal gains more than offset carload losses, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) latest report.

U.S. Class I railroads hauled 474,596 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending March 16, 2024—rising 6.7% from the same point last year, AAR reported March 20. Total carloads came in at 219,586, down 0.6% from 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 255,010 containers and trailers, up 13.8% from 2023.

For the week ending March 16, 2024, seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included grain, up 3,638 carloads, to 21,108; chemicals, up 2,186 carloads, to 33,134; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,836 carloads, to 9,954. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 were coal, down 12,033 carloads, to 55,990; metallic ores and metals, down 903 carloads, to 18,683; and forest products, down 92 carloads, to 8,431.

U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,344,887 carloads for the first 11 weeks of 2024, dropping 4.1% from the same point last year; and 2,759,413 intermodal units, rising 9.0% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 11 weeks of 2024 was 5,104,200 carloads and intermodal units, a 2.5% increase from last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending March 16, 2024, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 332,985 carloads, up 1.0% compared with the same week last year, and 338,651 intermodal units, up 12.1% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 671,636 carloads and intermodal units, up 6.3%. North American rail volume for the first 11 weeks of 2024 was 7,138,853 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.8% compared with 2023.

Canadian railroads reported 96,016 carloads for the week, up 6.5%, and 71,109 intermodal units, up 7.6% compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 11 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,721,727 carloads, containers and trailers, down 1.1%.

Mexican railroads reported 17,383 carloads for the week, down 7.5% compared with the same week last year, and 12,532 intermodal units, up 6.6%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 11 weeks of 2024 was 312,826 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 7.7% from the same point last year.