Week 29: Rail Traffic Remains Ahead of ’20, Behind ’19
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
For the week ending July 24, 2021, total U.S. rail traffic came in at 503,219 carloads and intermodal units, growing 4.6% from the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported on July 28.
But rail volumes for week 29 were down 6% compared with the same week in 2019, according to Susquehanna Financial Group (SFG) Analyst Bascome Majors. He also found that the four-week trend was up 7% vs. 2020 and down 3% from 2019.
AAR reported that total U.S. Class I carloads reached 230,095 for the week ending July 24, 2021, up 7.1% compared with the prior-year period; intermodal volume was 273,124 containers and trailers, up 2.6%.
According to an analysis by SFG’s Majors, intermodal for the week was flat with 2019, and the four-week trend for intermodal was up 3% vs. 2019.
Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase in week 29 compared with the same week in 2020, AAR said. They included coal, up 8,411 carloads, to 65,945; metallic ores and metals, up 7,662 carloads, to 23,124; and nonmetallic minerals, up 2,162 carloads, to 33,115. Commodity groups that posted decreases vs. the same point last year were motor vehicles and parts, down 4,390 carloads, to 10,765; farm products excluding grain, and food, down 1,722 carloads, to 14,679; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 309 carloads, to 10,530.
For the first 29 weeks of this year, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 6,678,220 carloads, rising 9.2% from the prior-year period; and 8,124,671 intermodal units, increasing 15.8%. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 29 weeks of 2021 was 14,802,891 carloads and intermodal units, a 12.7% gain from 2020.
North American rail volume for the week ending July 24, 2021, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 327,085 carloads, an increase of 6.7% vs. the comparable week in 2020, and 360,431 intermodal units, a gain of 2.7% vs. last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 687,516 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.6%. North American rail volume for the first 29 weeks of 2021 was 20,180,555 carloads and intermodal units, increasing 11.2% compared with last year.
Canadian railroads reported 75,240 carloads for the week, a rise of 3.3%, and 71,170 intermodal units, an increase of 0.8% vs. the same point in 2020. For the first 29 weeks of 2021, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,318,114 carloads, containers and trailers, growing 7.4%.
Mexican railroads reported 21,750 carloads for the week, up 15.7% vs. the prior-year period, and 16,137 intermodal units, up 14.4%. Their cumulative volume for the first 29 weeks of 2021 was 1,059,550 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, a 6.4% boost vs. 2020.
