The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported US rail traffic for the week ending 7 December 2024. For this week, total US weekly rail traffic was 520 894 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.4% compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending December 7 were 224 899 carloads, down 1.8% compared with the same week in 2023, while US weekly intermodal volume was 295 995 containers and trailers, up 9.7% compared to 2023.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included chemicals, up 2614 carloads, to 33 599; grain, up 2436 carloads, to 23 143; and miscellaneous carloads, up 1302 carloads, to 9318. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 8665 carloads, to 57 764; motor vehicles and parts, down 2436 carloads, to 15 046; and non-metallic minerals, down 892 carloads, to 28 164.
For the first 49 weeks of 2024, US railroads reported cumulative volume of 10 693 127 carloads, down 3.1% from the same point last year; and 13 045 681 intermodal units, up 9.1% from last year. Total combined US traffic for the first 49 weeks of 2024 was 23 738 808 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.3% compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending 7 December 2024, on 9 reporting US, Canadian and Mexican railroads totalled 331 101 carloads, down 2.6% compared with the same week last year, and 379 058 intermodal units, up 6.8% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 710 159 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.2%. North American rail volume for the first 49 weeks of 2024 was 32 915 088 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3% compared with 2023.
Canadian railroads reported 91 717 carloads for the week, down 2.1%, and 69,376 intermodal units, down 1.7% compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 49 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 7 768 157 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.9%.
Mexican railroads reported 14 485 carloads for the week, down 15.3% compared with the same week last year, and 13 687 intermodal units, down 6.8%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 49 weeks of 2024 was 1408 123 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 3.3% from the same point last year.