The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported US rail traffic for the week ending 16 November 2024. For this week, total US weekly rail traffic was 516 886 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.2% compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending November 16 were 223 659 carloads, down 5.6% compared with the same week in 2023, while US weekly intermodal volume was 293 227 containers and trailers, up 11.1% compared to 2023. Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included petroleum and petroleum products, up 1535 carloads, to 11 628; chemicals, up 867 carloads, to 33 170; and farm products excl. grain, and food, up 575 carloads, to 18 103. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 11 573 carloads, to 57,661; metallic ores and metals, down 2394 carloads, to 18 422; and non-metallic minerals, down 1758 carloads, to 29 446.
For the first 46 weeks of 2024, US railroads reported cumulative volume of 10 048 446 carloads, down 3.1% from the same point last year; and 12 209 308 intermodal units, up 9.1% from last year. Total combined US traffic for the first 46 weeks of 2024 was 22 257 754 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.2% compared to last year. North American rail volume for the week ending November 16, 2024, on 9 reporting US, Canadian and Mexican railroads totalled 333 382 carloads, down 4.3% compared with the same week last year, and 347 859 intermodal units, up 1.8% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 681 241 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.3%. North American rail volume for the first 46 weeks of 2024 was 30 859 771 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.2% compared with 2023.
Canadian railroads reported 95 001 carloads for the week, down 3.7%, and 40 905 intermodal units, down 38.7% compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 46 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 7 284 506 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.8%. Mexican railroads reported 14 722 carloads for the week, up 17.1% compared with the same week last year, and 13 727 intermodal units, up 26.1%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 46 weeks of 2024 was 1 317 511 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 2.6% from the same point last year.