The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported US and North American rail traffic for the week ending 9 January 2021.
For the week in question, total US weekly rail traffic amounted to 525 253 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.7% from the comparable week of 2020 (Week 2 – ended 11 January 2020).
The US carload total for the week was 235 404 carloads (down 1.6% compared with Week 2 2020), while the US weekly intermodal volume was 289 849 containers and trailers (up 10.4% compared to 2020).
Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2020. These included: grain (up 9386 carloads to 27 650); metallic ores and metals (up 2524 carloads to 23 600); and chemicals (up 2458 carloads, to 36 195). Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2020 included coal (down 10 088 carloads to 60 780); non-metallic minerals (down 4640 carloads to 25 395); and petroleum and petroleum products (down 3144 carloads to 11 167).
North American rail volume for the week ending 9 January 2021 – based on 12 reporting US, Canadian, and Mexican railroads – totalled 330 520 carloads (down 2.5% compared with the comparable week in 2020), and 378 856 intermodal units (up 8.3% compared with 2020). Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America amounted to 709 376 carloads and intermodal units (up 3.0%).
Canadian railroads reported 77 465 carloads for the week (down 3.3%) and 73 933 intermodal units (up 6.6% compared with the comparable week in 2020). For the first week of 2021, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 151 398 carloads, containers, and trailers (up 1.3%).
Mexican railroads reported 17 651 carloads for the week (down 10.7% compared with the comparable week last year) and 15 074 intermodal units (down 15.6%). Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first week of 2021 was 32 725 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers (down 13.0% from the same point last year).