The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending September 3, 2022, as well as volumes for August 2022.
U.S. railroads originated 1,189,892 carloads in August 2022, up 2.3 percent, or 27,040 carloads, from August 2021. U.S. railroads also originated 1,335,618 containers and trailers in August 2022, down 1.2 percent, or 15,856 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in August 2022 were 2,525,510, up 0.4 percent, or 11,184 carloads and intermodal units from August 2021.
In August 2022, 11 of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with August 2021. These included: coal, up 17,468 carloads or 5.2 percent; grain, up 12,594 carloads or 14.1 percent; and crushed stone, sand & gravel, up 7,327 carloads or 7.1 percent. Commodities that saw declines in August 2022 from August 2021 included: primary metal products, down 6,711 carloads or 14.1 percent; all other carloads, down 4,914 carloads or 15.9 percent; and petroleum & petroleum products, down 3,410 carloads or 6.6 percent.
“Things can change quickly, but there are reasons to believe the economy is on track to stimulate continued improvements in rail volumes,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. “To be sure, some traffic categories are doing better than others, just like some sectors of the economy are doing better than others. Through additional hiring and continued investments, railroads are preparing themselves for growth.”
Excluding coal, carloads were up 9,572 carloads, or 1.2 percent, in August 2022 from August 2021. Excluding coal and grain, carloads were down 3,022 carloads, or 0.4 percent.
Total U.S. carload traffic for the first eight months of 2022 was 8,090,712 carloads, up 0.3 percent, or 20,430 carloads, from the same period last year; and 9,248,250 intermodal units, down 5.1 percent, or 501,232 containers and trailers, from last year.
Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 35 weeks of 2022 was 17,338,962 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 2.7 percent compared to last year.
Week ending September 3, 2022
Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 513,087 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.7 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending September 3 were 241,431 carloads, up 5.7 percent compared with the same week in 2021, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 271,656 containers and trailers, up 2.1 percent compared to 2021.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2021. They included coal, up 5,833 carloads, to 72,999; grain, up 3,699 carloads, to 20,342; and nonmetallic minerals, up 1,668 carloads, to 33,938. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2021 included miscellaneous carloads, down 881 carloads, to 9,900; metallic ores and metals, down 748 carloads, to 22,053; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 462 carloads, to 9,604.
North American rail volume for the week ending September 3, 2022, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 339,416 carloads, up 6.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 365,087 intermodal units, up 4.5 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 704,503 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.3 percent. North American rail volume for the first 35 weeks of 2022 was 23,701,811 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.5 percent compared with 2021.
Canadian railroads reported 75,842 carloads for the week, up 2.4 percent, and 77,146 intermodal units, up 8.5 percent compared with the same week in 2021. For the first 35 weeks of 2022, Canadian railroads reported a cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,050,927 carloads, containers, and trailers, down 2.8 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 22,143 carloads for the week, up 32.1 percent compared with the same week last year, and 16,285 intermodal units, up 32.8 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 35 weeks of 2022 was 1,311,922 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.8 percent from the same point last year.
To view the weekly rail traffic chart, click here.
