AAR: North American Rail Volume Up Through Week 24

(Norfolk Southern Photograph)

Through the first 24 weeks of 2024 (ending June 15), total North American carload and intermodal traffic rose 2.0% from the same point last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR). The U.S., Canada and Mexico all experienced gains.

North American rail volume for the first 24 weeks of this year on 10 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads came in at 15,814,707 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers. Cumulative volume in the U.S. was 11,235,028 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.1% from 2023; in Canada, 3,870,602 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.8%; and in Mexico, 709,077 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.7%.

For the week ending June 15, 2024, U.S. Class I railroads moved a total of 493,138 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.4% compared with the same week last year, the AAR reported June 19. This comprised 222,759 carloads, down 2.5% from 2023, and 270,379 containers and trailers, up 8.9% compared with 2023. (U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 8, 2024, was similar—up 4.1% from the same week last year, with U.S. Class I’s hauling 218,234 carloads, down 4.4%, and 271,682 containers and trailers, up 12.2%.)

Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase for the week ending June 15, 2024, vs. the same week in 2023. They included chemicals, up 3,351 carloads, to 33,137; grain, up 3,319 carloads, to 19,150; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 951 carloads, to 11,046. Commodity groups that posted declines included coal, down 10,024 carloads, to 56,064; nonmetallic minerals, down 3,299 carloads, to 31,197; and metallic ores and metals, down 841 carloads, to 21,227.

For the first 24 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 5,124,503 carloads, dipping 4.9% from prior-year period; and 6,110,525 intermodal units, gaining 8.8% over 2023.

North American rail volume for the week ending June 15, 2024, totaled 329,988 carloads, down 1.1% from the same week last year, and 357,355 intermodal units, up 6.7% vs. 2023. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America came in at 687,343 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.8%.

For the week ending June 15, 2024, Canadian railroads reported 90,460 carloads, increasing 4.0%, and 74,665 intermodal units, rising 2.6% from the year-ago period.

Mexican railroads reported 16,769 carloads for the week ending June 15, 2024, an 8.9% fall-off from the same point last year, and 12,311 intermodal units, a 10.7% drop.