The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has released its latest report on North American rail traffic for the week ending 5 September 2020.
For the week ending 5 September, total US weekly rail traffic was 509 637 carloads and intermodal units, up 8.6% compared with the same week last year.
The total carloads for the week ending 5 September amounted to 222 298 carloads (down 6.9% compared with the same week in 2019), while US weekly intermodal volume was 287 339 containers and trailers (up 24.8% compared to 2019).
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2019. They included: grain, up 5630 carloads to 23 003; motor vehicles and parts, up 1729 carloads to 16 296; and miscellaneous carloads, up 1306 carloads to 10 038. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2019 included: coal, down 18 495 carloads to 60 842; non-metallic minerals, down 3159 carloads to 29 585; and metallic ores and metals, down 2396 carloads to 17 634.
For the first 36 weeks of 2020, US railroads reported cumulative volume of 7.67 million carloads (down 15.8% from the same point last year); and 8.90 million intermodal units (down 6.9% from last year). Total combined US traffic for the first 36 weeks of 2020 was 16.57 million carloads and intermodal units (a decrease of 11.3% compared to last year).
North American rail volumes for the week ending 5 September 2020 – according to 12 reporting US, Canadian, and Mexican railroads – totalled 319 928 carloads (down 4.8% compared with the same week last year) and 377 841 intermodal units (up 20.8% compared with last year). Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 697 769 carloads and intermodal units (up 7.6%). North American rail volume for the first 36 weeks of 2020 was 22.82 million carloads and intermodal units (down 10.5% compared with 2019).
Canadian railroads reported 78 580 carloads for the week (up 0.7%), and 73 558 intermodal units, up 11.3% compared with the same week in 2019. For the first 36 weeks of 2020, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 5.01 million carloads, containers, and trailers (down 8.2%).
Mexican railroads reported 19 050 carloads for the week (down 0.9% compared with the same week last year), and 16 944 intermodal units (up 4%). Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 36 weeks of 2020 was 1.24 million carloads and intermodal containers and trailers(down 9.5% from the same point last year).