AAR releases latest US and North American rail traffic data

For this week, total US weekly rail traffic amounted to 377 904 carloads and intermodal units (down 21.7% compared with the same week last year).

Total carloads for the week ending 20 February were 171 642 carloads, down 26.3% compared with the same week in 2020, while US weekly intermodal volume was 206 262 containers and trailers (down 17.4% compared to 2020).

None of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2020. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2020 included coal (down 14 856 carloads to 48 745); non-metallic minerals (down 13 765 carloads to 16 088); and chemicals (down 9400 carloads to 23 864).

For the first seven weeks of 2021, US railroads reported a cumulative volume of 1.53 million carloads (down 6.3% from the same point last year) and 1.91 million intermodal units (up 6.5% from last year). Total combined US traffic for the first seven weeks of 2021 was 3.45 million carloads and intermodal units (an increase of 0.4% compared to last year).

North American rail volume for the week ending 20 February 2021 – based on 12 reporting US, Canadian, and Mexican railroads – totalled 257 127 carloads (down 22.2% compared with the same week last year) and 286 467 intermodal units (down 11.9% compared with last year). Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 543 594 carloads and intermodal units (down 17.1%). North American rail volume for the first seven weeks of 2021 was 4.72 million carloads and intermodal units (up 0.4% compared with 2020).

Canadian railroads reported 67 877 carloads for the week (down 11.1%) and 63 968 intermodal units (up 13.8% compared with the same week in 2020). For the first seven weeks of 2021, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1.03 million carloads, containers, and trailers (up 4.6%).

Mexican railroads reported 17 608 carloads for the week (down 16.5% compared with the same week last year) and 16 237 intermodal units (down 14.8%). Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first seven weeks of 2021 was 232 756 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers (down 14.3% from the same point last year).

Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/rail-barge/25022021/aar-releases-latest-us-and-north-american-rail-traffic-data/