Week 10: U.S. Rail Traffic Behind 2021 Levels

For 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.

In comparison, U.S. rail traffic for week 9 (ending March 5, 2022) was 505,177 carloads and intermodal units, dipping 1.9% from the same week last year, based on 238,870 carloads—up 2.8% from 2021—and intermodal volume of 266,307 containers and trailers—down 5.8%, according to the AAR.

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.