U.S. freight-rail traffic increase continued in Week 42

U.S. freight railroads logged a 1.8% increase in carload and intermodal traffic for the week ending Oct. 21 compared with volume in the same week a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads data.

Total carloads for the week rose 1.5% to 234,893 units, while intermodal volume climbed 2.1% to 271,092 containers and trailers.

Six of the 10 carload groups that AAR tracks weekly posted increases. They included metallic ores and metals, up 20.7%; nonmetallic minerals, up 4.9%; and chemicals, up 3.5%.

Commodities that posted decreases included grain, down 10.4%; coal, -2.1%; and forest products, -4.8%.

Meanwhile, Canadian railroads reported 96,761 carloads, down 1%, and 72,717 intermodal units, down 5%, for the week. Mexican railroads posted 16,480 carloads for the week, down 8.3%, and 11,619 intermodal units, down 13.8%.

For the first 42 weeks of 2023 compared with the same period in 2022:
• U.S. railroads reported 19,602,147 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 3.8%;
• Canadian railroads reported 6,677,072 carloads, containers and trailers, down 3.5%; and
• Mexican railroads reported 1,173,418 carloads, containers and trailers, up 2.4%.