The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 26, 2023.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 472,525 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.9 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending August 26 were 226,679 carloads, down 3.9 percent compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 245,846containers and trailers, down 7.7 percent compared to 2022.
Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 1,500 carloads, to16,113; petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,373 carloads, to 9,921; and nonmetallic minerals, up 507 carloads, to 33,254. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2022 included coal, down 5,449 carloads, to 68,828; grain, down 4,767 carloads, to 13,312; and miscellaneous carloads, down 887 carloads, to 8,789.
For the first 34 weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 7,621,657 carloads, up 0.1 percent from the same point last year; and 8,074,700 intermodal units, down 9.2 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 34 weeks of 2023 was 15,696,357 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 4.9 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending August 26, 2023, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 327,192 carloads, down 3.4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 327,499 intermodal units, down 8.9 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 654,691carloads and intermodal units, down 6.2 percent. North American rail volume for the first 34 weeks of 2023 was 22,009,485 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.1 percent compared with 2022.
Canadian railroads reported 83,877 carloads for the week, down 4.8 percent, and 69,342 intermodal units, down 15.8 percent compared with the same week in 2022. For the first 34 weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,357,780 carloads, containers and trailers, down 3.2 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 16,636 carloads for the week, up 12.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 12,311 intermodal units, up 15.3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 34 weeks of 2023 was 955,348 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 5.1 percent from the same point last year.
To view the traffic charts, click here.
