WASHINGTON – Total U.S. weekly rail traffic eked out a 0.5% gain for the week ending Oct. 14, the Association of American Railroads reported today.
Total carloads down 2% compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was up 2.8% compared to a year ago.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included petroleum and petroleum products; motor vehicles and parts; and miscellaneous carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2022 included coal, grain, and metallic ores and metals.
For the first 41 weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported cumulative carload volume was up 0.3% from the same point last year, while intermodal was down 7.7%. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 41 weeks of 2023 was down 4%.
North American carload volume for the week ending Oct. 14 was down 2.9% compared with the same week last year, while intermodal was down 1.4% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was down 2.1%. North American rail volume for the first 41 weeks of 2023 was down 3.6% compared with 2022.
Canadian carloads were down 2.4% for the week, while intermodal was off by 12.1%. For the first 41 weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume was down 3.5%.
Mexican railroads reported carloads down 15.7% for the week, while intermodal was down 20%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 41 weeks of 2023 was up 2.8% from the same point last year.
More details are available online.
I think this bears out. Virtually every train I see in this area (Los Angeles area, BNSF & UP) are intermodal trains.