For Week 11, U.S. Carloads, Intermodal Down

Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
(Photograph Courtesy of CP via Twitter)

(Photograph Courtesy of CP via Twitter)

U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 18 (Week 11) dipped 9.4% from the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported March 22.

U.S. Class I railroads hauled a total of 453,500 carloads and intermodal units, comprising 227,454 carloads, down 2.7%, and 226,046 containers and trailers, down 15.2% compared to 2022.

According to AAR, three of the 10 commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They were coal, up 2,886 carloads, to 67,912; motor vehicles and parts, up 1,150 carloads, to 15,091; and metallic ores and metals, up 378 carloads, to 20,534. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2022 included grain, down 4,439 carloads, to 18,743; chemicals, down 1,993 carloads, to 32,175; and nonmetallic minerals, down 1,890 carloads, to 29,265.

For the first 11 weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,523,553 carloads, down 0.3% from the same point last year; and 2,556,114 intermodal units, down 9.6% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 11 weeks of 2023 was 5,079,667 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 5.2% compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending March 18, 2023, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 328,408 carloads, up 0.0% compared with the same week last year, and 300,200 intermodal units, down 13.5% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 628,608 carloads and intermodal units, down 6.9%. North American rail volume for the first 11 weeks of 2023 was 7,013,479 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.3% compared with 2022.

Canadian railroads reported 78,381 carloads for the week, up 6.7%, and 59,280 intermodal units, down 9.3% compared with the same week in 2022. For the first 11 weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,527,311 carloads, containers and trailers, up 2.7%.

Mexican railroads reported 22,573 carloads for the week, up 7.4% compared with the same week last year, and 14,874 intermodal units, down 0.1%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 11 weeks of 2023 was 406,501 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 0.6% from the same point last year.

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