For Week 2, U.S. Carloads Up, Intermodal Down

Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
Union Pacific Photograph

Union Pacific Photograph

For the week ending Jan. 14 (Week 2), total U.S. rail traffic was down 1.7% compared with the same week last year; carloads came in 4.2% higher while intermodal dipped 7.0% compared to 2022, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Jan. 18 report.

Canadian railroads saw an increase in carloads, up 23.0% from the same week last year, while Mexican railroads reported a dip of 3.9%. Both Canadian and Mexican railroads saw a decline in intermodal units, down 2.0% and 6.6%, respectively.

In Week 2 (ending Jan. 14, 2023), U.S. Class I railroads hauled 244,171 carloads and 241,829 containers and trailers.

According to AAR, seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included grain, up 3,483 carloads, to 28,008; nonmetallic minerals, up 3,033 carloads, to 30,380; and motor vehicles and parts, up 2,176 carloads, to 14,562. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2022 were chemicals, down 2,226 carloads, to 31,793; forest products, down 715 carloads, to 9,244; and miscellaneous carloads, down 117 carloads, to 9,580.

For the first two weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 457,133 carloads, up 2.9% from the same point last year; and 445,356 intermodal units, down 9.2% from last year. Total U.S. traffic for the first two weeks of 2023 was 902,489 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 3.5% compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending Jan. 14, 2023, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 350,991 carloads, up 7.5% compared with the same week last year, and 319,854 intermodal units, down 6.0% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 670,845 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.6%. North American rail volume for the first two weeks of 2023 was 1,247,565 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.7% compared with 2022.

Canadian railroads reported 84,028 carloads for the week, up 23.0%, and 62,980 intermodal units, down 2.0% compared with the same week in 2022. For the first two weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 273,546 carloads, containers and trailers, up 9.6%.

Mexican railroads reported 22,792 carloads for the week, down 3.9% compared with the same week last year, and 15,045 intermodal units, down 6.6%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first two weeks of 2023 was 71,530 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 0.5% from the same point last year.

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