WASHINGTON — Continuing recent trends, U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Oct. 24, 2020, showed an overall increase over the corresponding week in 2019 thanks to increased intermodal volume, while year-to-date traffic remains well below 2019 levels.
Total traffic for the week was 522,653 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.9% increase over previous-year levels. This included 227,543 carloads, down 6.5%, and 296,110 intermodal containers and trailers, up 9.4%. Five of 10 carload groups showed increases over 2019 levels, led by grain, up 23.2%; of the five that decreased, the biggest losses continue to be shown in petroleum and petroleum products (down 21.8%) and coal (down 21.5%).
For the year to date, the 20,164,031 carloads and intermodal units is a 9.6% decrease. Grain now shows an increase over 2019, albeit a slight 0.2%; all other commodity groups remain down, led by coal (minus-26.4%) and motor vehicles and parts (minus-22.6%).
Canadian railroads reported 80,384 carloads for the week, down 2.1%, and 79,792 intermodal units, up 12.4%.
