The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 3, 2023, as well as volumes for May 2023.
U.S. railroads originated 1,129,255 carloads in May 2023, up 0.8 percent, or 8,840 carloads, from May 2022. U.S. railroads also originated 1,190,553 containers and trailers in May 2023, down 11.1 percent, or 148,780 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in May 2023 were 2,319,808, down 5.7 percent, or 139,940 carloads and intermodal units from May 2022.
In May 2023, nine of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with May 2022. These included: motor vehicles & parts, up 11,464 carloads or 17.0 percent; crushed stone, sand & gravel, up 10,207 carloads or 10.2 percent; and petroleum & petroleum products, up 3,968 carloads or 9.4 percent. Commodities that saw declines in May 2023 from May 2022 included: grain, down 12,916 carloads or 12.2 percent; coal, down 5,389 carloads or 1.7 percent; and all other carloads, down 2,528 carloads or 9.8 percent.
“Roughly half of U.S. intermodal shipments are related to international trade, so what happens at ports is extremely important to railroads,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. “U.S. port volumes, especially on the West Coast, have already been trending down for months and are a major reason why rail intermodal volumes have been on the decline in 2023.”
Excluding coal, carloads were up 14,229 carloads, or 1.8 percent, in May 2023 from May 2022. Excluding coal and grain, carloads were up 27,145 carloads, or 3.9 percent.
Total U.S. carload traffic for the first five months of 2023 was 4,938,897 carloads, up 0.7 percent, or 33,332 carloads, from the same period last year; and 5,124,695 intermodal units, down 10.9 percent, or 624,181 containers and trailers, from last year.
Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 22 weeks of 2023 was 10,063,592 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 5.5 percent compared to last year.
Week Ending June 3, 2023
Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 439,601 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.7 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending June 3 were 219,289 carloads, up 0.4 percent compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 220,312 containers and trailers, down 11.1 percent compared to 2022.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 3,017 carloads, to 15,500; nonmetallic minerals, up 2,522 carloads, to 31,663; and miscellaneous carloads, up 1,423 carloads, to 9,317. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2022 included grain, down 6,615 carloads, to 15,945; coal, down 1,077 carloads, to 64,548; and chemicals, down 635 carloads, to 29,923.
North American rail volume for the week ending June 3, 2023, on 10 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 321,168 carloads, up 0.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 302,681 intermodal units, down 8.8 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 623,849 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.2 percent. North American rail volume for the first 22 weeks of 2023 was 14,186,594 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.1 percent compared with 2022.
Canadian railroads reported 85,340 carloads for the week, down 2.4 percent, and 72,713 intermodal units, down 2.3 percent compared with the same week in 2022. For the first 22 weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,518,660 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.7 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 16,539 carloads for the week, up 20.4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 9,656 intermodal units, up 2.4 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 22 weeks of 2023 was 604,342 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.1 percent from the same point last year.
To view the weekly rail charts, click here.
