Weekly rail traffic in the United States remains up as the year winds down.
Figures for the week ending Dec. 14 saw U.S. railroads move 526,166 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.8% increase over the same week in 2023, according to the Association of American Railroads. Those figures include 228,400 commodity carloads, down 2.4% from the corresponding week a year ago, and 297,766 containers and trailers, up 11.1%.
Among carload gainers, farm products excluding grain and food increased 3.6%, while petroleum and petroleum products were ahead 2.8%.
Notable declines were seen in metallic ores and metals, down 11.5%; coal, off 6%; and motor vehicles and parts, off 4.7% from the previous week.
Through 50 weeks of 2024, carload traffic is down 3.1% while intermodal traffic is up 9.2% for an overall gain of 3.3% compared to the same period a year ago.
North American volume for the week, from nine reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads, included 334,768 carloads, down 4% from the same week a year ago, and 379,155 intermodal units, up 7%. The combined total of 713,923 carloads and intermodal units represents a 1.5% increase.
For the year to date, overall North American volume is up 2.2% compared to the first 40 weeks of 2023. That includes a 1% decline in Canada and a 3% gain in Mexico.
The next two weeks of rail traffic reports will be released later than usual — on Friday, Dec. 27, and Friday, Jan. 3 — because of holidays.
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