U.S. Carloads, Intermodal Down in Week 50

Photograph Courtesy of CN, via Twitter

For the week ending Dec. 17 (Week 50), total U.S. rail traffic was down 5.5% over the same week last year; carloads were down 3.2% and intermodal volume continued its downward trend, dropping 7.5%, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) Dec. 21 report.

Canadian and Mexican railroads saw an increase in carloads for the week, up 7.2% and 13.6%, respectively; only Mexican railroads saw a boost in intermodal, up 10.5%.

In Week 50 (ending Dec. 17, 2022), U.S. Class I railroads hauled a total of 476, 232 carloads and intermodal units, comprising 226,977 carloads and 249,255 containers and trailers.

According to AAR, three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2021. They were motor vehicles and parts, up 2,783 carloads, to 15,251; farm products (excluding grain and food), up 603 carloads, to 16,719; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 181 carloads, to 10,582. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2021 included coal, down 3,317 carloads, to 61,577; chemicals, down 2,766 carloads, to 31,342; and miscellaneous carloads, down 1,948 carloads, to 8,512.

For the first 50 weeks of this year, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 11,603,096 carloads, up 0% from the same point last year; and 13,059,825 intermodal units, down 4.9% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 50 weeks of 2022 was 24,662,921 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 2.7% compared with 2021.

North American rail volume for the week ending Dec.17, 2022, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 330,786 carloads, up 0.2% compared with the same week last year, and 329,112 intermodal units, down 5.7% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 659,898 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.9%. North American rail volume for the first 50 weeks of 2022 was 33,849,073 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.8% compared with 2021.

Canadian railroads reported 81,774 carloads for the week, up 7.2%, and 64,345 intermodal units, down 2.2%compared with the same week in 2021. For the first 50 weeks of 2022, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 7,299,453 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.4%.

Mexican railroads reported 22,035 carloads for the week, up 13.6% compared with the same week last year, and 15,512 intermodal units, up 10.5%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 50 weeks of 2022 was 1,886,699 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 3.9% from the same point in 2021.