AAR statistics show intermodal continuing to lift US rail traffic

WASHINGTON — Intermodal traffic continues to lift overall rail traffic above year-earlier levels in weekly statistics from the Association of American Railroads, with total volume for the week ending Nov. 7, 2020, up 1.3% over the same week in 2019. Weekly intermodal volume was 293,746 containers and trailers, up 10.3% from the same week a year earlier, while carload traffic was down 8.4% at 228,282 carloads.

Grain traffic remains strong, running 25.5% percent above 2019. Chemicals and farm products/food also are above 2019 levels, while three of the other seven commodity categories show major decreases: coal, down 21.8%; metallic ores and metals, down 21.7%, and petroleum and petroleum products, down 17.5%. Canadian carload traffic was down 6.1% for the week while intermodal traffic was up 14.1% In Mexico, carload traffic was down 5.7% for the week and intermodal traffic was down 24%.

Forty-five week year-to-date totals remain well below 2019 levels, with overall traffic down 9.1%, carloads down 14.4%, and intermodal down 4.1%. Only grain, up 1.3%, is ahead of 2019 levels; five of the other nine commodity categories show declines of 13% or more, led by coal’s 26.2% drop.