WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was up from 2023 levels for the fourth straight week, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, with overall traffic showing a 3.7% gain for the week ending Feb. 17.
Total traffic for the week was 474,226 carloads and intermodal units. That included 220,539 carloads, down 0.6% from the same week in 2023, and 253,697 trailers and containers, up 7.9%.
Year-to-date totals, through seven weeks of 2024, show carload traffic down 5.6% compared to the same period in 2023, while intermodal traffic is up 6.7%. Overall volume is up 0.7% compared to last year.
North American traffic for the week, from 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, includes 331,196 carloads, down 1%, and 337,305 intermodal units, up 7.6%. The total volume of 668,501 carloads and intermodal units represents a 3.2% increase. For the year to date, overall traffic is down 0.2% compared to the first seven weeks of 2023.
