The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 13, 2023.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 466,381 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.9 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending May 13 were 225,571 carloads, up 0.9 percent compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 240,810 containers and trailers, down 11.5 percent compared to 2022.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 2,968 carloads, to 16,035; petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,452 carloads, to 9,491; and nonmetallic minerals, up 1,040 carloads, to 33,846. Commodity groups that posted a decrease compared with the same week in 2022 included grain, down 2,040 carloads, to 18,818; miscellaneous carloads, down 1,216 carloads, to 7,526; and farm products excl. grain, and food, down 462 carloads, to 15,540.
For the first 19 weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 4,260,143 carloads, up 0.6 percent from the same point last year; and 4,413,091 intermodal units, down 10.9 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 19 weeks of 2023 was 8,673,234 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 5.6 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending May 13, 2023, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 332,478 carloads, up 2.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 322,390 intermodal units, down 12.1 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 654,868 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.4 percent. North American rail volume for the first 19 weeks of 2023 was 12,232,554 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.0 percent compared with 2022.
Canadian railroads reported 89,784 carloads for the week, up 4.7 percent, and 70,736 intermodal units, down 15.0 percent compared with the same week in 2022. For the first 19 weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,036,897 carloads, containers, and trailers, down 0.2 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 17,123 carloads for the week, up 5.0 percent compared with the same week last year, and 10,844 intermodal units, down 5.2 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 19 weeks of 2023 was 522,423 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.4 percent from the same point last year.
To view the rail traffic charts, click here.
