For Week 11, U.S. Carloads, Intermodal Down
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior EditorU.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.