AAR: North American Rail Volume Up Through Week 15
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
BNSF Logistics Park Kansas City. BNSF photo
Through the first 15 weeks of 2024 (ending April 13), total North American carload and intermodal traffic rose 2.2% from the same point last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported April 17. The U.S. and Mexico experienced gains, while Canada saw a decline.
North American rail volume for the first 15 weeks of this year on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads came in at 9,789,570 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers. Cumulative volume in the U.S. was 6,959,079 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4% from 2023; in Mexico, 446,535 carloads and intermodal units, up 10.5%; and in Canada, 2,383,956 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.0%.
For the week ending April 13, 2024, U.S. Class I railroads hauled a total of 466,463 carloads and intermodal units, increasing 1.5% from the prior-year period, according to the AAR. This comprises 208,381 carloads, down 8.2% from 2023, and 258,082 containers and trailers, up 11.0% compared with 2023.
Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 1,420 carloads, to 16,288; petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,352 carloads, to 10,403; and farm products excl. grain, and food, up 788 carloads, to 17,002. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 17,826 carloads, to 45,218; metallic ores and metals, down 3,095 carloads, to 18,658; and nonmetallic minerals, down 1,301 carloads, to 31,631.
For the first 15 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,191,350 carloads, down 4.5% from the same period last year; and 3,767,729 intermodal units, up 9.1% from last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending April 13, 2024, on 10 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 318,299 carloads, a 6.3% decrease from the same week last year, and 343,760 intermodal units, a 9.7% gain over last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 662,059 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.4%.
Canadian railroads reported 91,978 carloads for the week, down 2.9%, and 73,043 intermodal units, up 8.2% compared with the same week in 2023.
Mexican railroads reported 17,940 carloads for the week, down 1.4% compared with the same week last year, and 12,635 intermodal units, down 4.9%.
