WASHINGTON — Overall U.S. rail traffic was up 1.2% in April, the third straight month of gains compared to 2023, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads.
Traffic for the week ending April 27 was also up, marking the 14th straight week traffic exceeded levels of a year earlier.
April’s figures included a 6.5% decrease in carload traffic and an 8.6% gain in intermodal volume compared to April 2023.
“U.S. rail carloads declined in April primarily due to decreased coal shipments,” said Rand Ghayad, AAR chief economist. “Excluding coal, year-over-year carload volumes have experienced a three-month consecutive increase. In April, out of the 20 carload categories monitored, nine showed growth, with several experiencing marginal declines. Additionally, sustained consumer spending and heightened port activity contributed to the eighth consecutive year-over-year rise in intermodal traffic for April.”
Through four months of 2024, carload traffic is down 4.8% compared to 2023, while intermodal units are up 9%. The combined traffic through the first 17 weeks of 2024 shows a 2.2% increase from a year ago.
Week ending April 27
Traffic for the week was 476,302 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.7% compared to the corresponding week in 2023. That includes 214,414 carloads, down 6.4%, and 261,888 containers and trailers, up 7.5%.
North American figures for the week, from 10 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, included 325,396 carloads, down 5.3% from the same week a year ago, and 350,692 intermodal units, up 6.6%. The total of 676,088 carloads and intermodal units represented a 0.5% increase. Year-to-date Canadian traffic is up 0.3%, while cumulative Mexican volume through 17 weeks is up 8.4%.
