After two weeks in which weekly U.S. rail traffic numbers showed major swings because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the latest numbers are back to normal — which is to say, showing a nominal overall increase.
Statistics from the Association of American Railroads for the week ending Dec. 7 show U.S. railroads moved 520,894 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.4% increase from the same week in 2023. That includes 224,899 carloads, down 1.8%, and 295,995 containers and trailers, up 9.7%.
Those figures come after a week that saw a 25.6% increase in traffic followed by one with a 13.8% decline. Where Thanksgiving fell in the calendar, compared to the previous year, influenced both those sets of statistics.
Through 49 weeks of 2024, carload traffic is down 3.1% while intermodal volume is up 6.8%, creating an overall gain of 3.3% compared to the same period a year ago.
North American volume, from nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads, includes 331,101 carloads, down 2.6% from the corresponding week in 2023, and 379,058 intermodal units, up 6.8%. That makes for a 2.2% gain over the same week last year and a 2.3% increase for the year to date. In Canada, year-to-date traffic is down 0.9%; in Mexico, it is up 3.3%.
Record rail intermodal, consumer spending signal positive outlook, says AAR
Tariff threats roil North American container marketplace
Shippers urge longshore union, employers to resume contract talks
The post US rail traffic shows weekly gain appeared first on FreightWaves.
