The AAR reports on the latest North American rail traffic

For the week ending 22 August 2020, total US rail traffic was 514 914 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.3% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending 22 August amounted to 229 828 carloads, down 12% compared with the same week in 2019. US weekly intermodal volume was 285 086 containers and trailers, up 5% compared to 2019.

Two of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2019. These were grain, up 1489 carloads to 22 530; and farm products excluding grain and food, up 705 carloads to 15 951. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2019 included coal, down 16 929 carloads to 64 500; non-metallic minerals, down 8464 carloads to 30 294; and metallic ores and metals, down 2467 carloads to 18 981.

For the first 34 weeks of 2020, US railroads reported cumulative volume of 7.22 million carloads, down 16% from the same point last year; and 8.33 million intermodal units, down 8% from last year. Total combined US traffic for the first 34 weeks of 2020 was 15.55 million carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 11.9% compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending 22 August 2020 – based on data from 12 reporting US, Canadian, and Mexican railroads – totalled 320 649 carloads, down 12.5% compared with the same week last year; and 371,003 intermodal units, up 2.4% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 691 652 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.1%. North American rail volume for the first 34 weeks of 2020 was 21.42 million carloads and intermodal units, down 11.2% compared with 2019.

Canadian railroads reported 71 766 carloads for the week, down 14.2%, and 68 970 intermodal units, down 5.8% compared with the same week in 2019. For the first 34 weeks of 2020, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4.7 million carloads, containers, and trailers, down 8.6%.

Mexican railroads reported 19 055 carloads for the week, down 12% compared with the same week last year, and 16 947 intermodal units, down 2.9%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 34 weeks of 2020 was 1.16 million carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 10.7% from the same point last year.

Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/dry-bulk/27082020/the-aar-reports-on-the-latest-north-american-rail-traffic/