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The Association of American Railroads reports a 5.2% rise in U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 10, 2024, with notable gains in intermodal volume.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has released the latest U.S. rail traffic data for the week ending August 10, 2024.

This week saw a total U.S. rail traffic volume of 496,509 carloads and intermodal units, marking a 5.2 percent increase compared to the same week last year.

Specifically, carloads for the week totaled 222,039, a slight decrease of 0.9 percent from the same period in 2023. On the other hand, intermodal volume in the U.S. reached 274,470 containers and trailers, representing a 10.6 percent rise over last year.

Among the 10 carload commodity groups, six reported growth compared to the same week in 2023. Notable increases were seen in grain, which rose by 3,866 carloads to 18,402; chemicals, up by 2,969 carloads to 32,959; and farm products excluding grain and food, which increased by 546 carloads to 16,193. However, declines were noted in coal, which fell by 7,633 carloads to 61,031; nonmetallic minerals, down by 1,295 carloads to 31,849; and metallic ores and metals, which dropped by 906 carloads to 19,432.

Over the first 32 weeks of 2024, U.S. railroads have reported a cumulative volume of 6,864,604 carloads, a 4.0 percent decline compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, intermodal units totaled 8,237,398, reflecting an 8.7 percent increase. The total combined U.S. rail traffic for the first 32 weeks of 2024 reached 15,102,002 carloads and intermodal units, a 2.5 percent rise from the previous year.

Looking at North American rail traffic for the week ending August 10, 2024, which includes data from U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, the total reached 680,572 carloads and intermodal units, up 3.7 percent compared to the same week in 2023. This included 326,804 carloads, a slight decrease of 0.2 percent, and 353,768 intermodal units, a 7.7 percent increase.

In Canada, railroads reported 89,620 carloads for the week, an increase of 2.5 percent, while intermodal units totaled 66,976, a 5.5 percent decline compared to last year. Cumulative rail traffic in Canada for the first 32 weeks of 2024 was 5,114,967 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 1.4 percent from last year.

Mexican railroads saw 15,145 carloads for the week, a 6.2 percent drop compared to the same week in 2023, while intermodal units rose by 27.9 percent to 12,322. For the first 32 weeks of 2024, cumulative rail traffic in Mexico reached 926,052 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, an increase of 3.3 percent from the previous year.