Today, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending December 21, 2024. Due to the upcoming holiday, the Weekly Rail Traffic reports for the week ending December 28, 2024, will be released on January 3, 2025.
This week’s total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 523,912 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.8 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending December 21 were 230,857 carloads, up 0.3 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 293,055 containers and trailers, up 14.6 percent compared to 2023.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included chemicals, up 2,678 carloads, to 35,174; nonmetallic minerals, up 2,223 carloads, to 29,063; and grain, up 783 carloads, to 21,932. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 5,060 carloads, to 61,126; metallic ores and metals, down 481 carloads, to 21,666; and motor vehicles and parts, down 441 carloads, to 15,845.
For the first 51 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 11,152,384 carloads, down 3.0 percent from the same point last year and 13,636,502 intermodal units, up 9.3 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 51 weeks of 2024 was 24,788,886 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.4 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending December 21, 2024, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 338,812 carloads, down 0.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 375,064 intermodal units, up 10.5 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 713,876 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.9 percent. North American rail volume for the first 51 weeks of 2024 was 34,342,887 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3 percent compared with 2023.
Canadian railroads reported 92,807 carloads for the week, down 1.1 percent, and 69,112 intermodal units, down 1.6 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 51 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 8,089,688 carloads, containers, and trailers, down 1.0 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 15,148 carloads for the week, down 9.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 12,897 intermodal units, down 4.1 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 51 weeks of 2024 was 1,464,313 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.8 percent from the same point last year.
To view the rail charts, click here.
