Week 10: U.S. Rail Traffic Behind 2021 Levels
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive EditorFor the week ending March 12, 2022, U.S. rail traffic was down 4.7% over the same week last year; total carloads came in 0.9% higher while intermodal volume dropped 9.1%, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) March 16 report.
In week 10, U.S. Class I railroads hauled a total of 496,134 carloads and intermodal units, comprising 232,388 carloads and 263,746 containers and trailers.
For the week ending March 12, 2022, four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase vs. the prior-year period. They included chemicals, up 5,958 carloads, to 35,933; nonmetallic minerals, up 1,339 carloads, to 30,466; and coal, up 485 carloads, to 64,589. Commodity groups that posted declines compared with 2021 included grain, down 2,726 carloads, to 21,213; petroleum and petroleum products, down 1,374 carloads, to 10,005; and motor vehicles and parts, down 900 carloads, to 13,936.
For the first 10 weeks of 2022, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,288,852 carloads, up 3.2% from the same point last year; and 2,561,813 intermodal units, down 7.2% from 2021. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 10 weeks of 2022 was 4,850,665 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 2.6% compared with last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending March 12, 2022, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 328,598 carloads, falling 1.2% from the same week last year, and 349,088 intermodal units, dropping 8.1% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 677,686 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.9%. North American rail volume for the first 10 weeks of 2022 was 6,572,335 carloads and intermodal units, down 4% compared with 2021.
Canadian railroads reported 74,498 carloads for the week, a 10% decline, and 68,865 intermodal units, a 7.6% fall-off from the previous-year period. For the first 10 weeks of 2022, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,348,553 carloads, containers and trailers, down 10.2%.
Mexican railroads reported 21,712 carloads for the week, rising 12.3% from the same week in 2021, and 16,477 intermodal units, increasing 7.7%. Their cumulative volume for the first 10 weeks of 2022 was 373,117 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.3% from the same point last year.