U.S. Rail Traffic Uptick Continues
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
For the week ending Aug. 27, 2022, total U.S. rail traffic came in at 511,574 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.4% from the prior-year period, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported Aug. 31. It is the second consecutive week that carload gains have offset intermodal declines.
Total carloads for the week ending Aug. 27, 2022, were 242,633, up 3.4% compared with the same week in 2021, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 268,941 containers and trailers, down 0.3% compared with 2021.
This is the third time in five weeks that a gain in total rail traffic has been reported. Prior to the week ending July 30, 2022, there had been 22 consecutive weeks of total traffic declines.
According to AAR, four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2021. They included coal, up 5,893 carloads, to 74,295; grain, up 2,224 carloads, to 19,458; and motor vehicles and parts, up 1,323 carloads, to 14,624. Commodity groups that posted decreases included petroleum and petroleum products, down 1,228 carloads, to 9,642; metallic ores and metals, down 660 carloads, to 23,112; and forest products, down 419 carloads, to 9,834.
For the first 34 weeks of 2022, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 7,849,281 carloads, up 0.1% from the year-ago period; and 8,976,594 intermodal units, down 5.3% from 2021. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 34 weeks of 2022 came in at 16,825,875 carloads and intermodal units, falling 2.9% from last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending Aug. 27, 2022, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 340,747 carloads, rising 2.4% from the same week last year, and 359,832 intermodal units, increasing 0.7%. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 700,579 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.5% gain. North American rail volume for the first 34 weeks of 2022 was 22,997,308 carloads and intermodal units, dipping 2.7% compared with 2021.
Canadian railroads reported 76,361 carloads for the week, a 1.8% uptick, and 74,570 intermodal units, a 3.8% gain compared with the same week in 2021. For the first 34 weeks of 2022, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,897,939 carloads, containers and trailers, decreasing 3%.
Mexican railroads reported 21,753 carloads for the week, dropping 6.3% from the same week in 2021, and 16,321 intermodal units, rising 4.3%. Their cumulative volume for the first 34 weeks of 2022 was 1,273,494 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1% from the year-earlier period.
