WASHINGTON — With continued strength of intermodal traffic and a rare rise in carload traffic as recovery continued from February’s winter weather issues, U.S. railroads showed an 11.4% increase in total volume for the week ending March 6, 2021, compared to the same week last year.
The latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads show 232,494 carloads, a 1.1% increase, with increases in five of the 10 individual carload commodities. Grain, up 27.2% from 2020 levels, and coal, up 11.8%, led the carload gains. Railroads also moved 282,641 containers and trailers, for a 21.5% increase over year-earlier totals. Year-to-date totals show carloads down 5.7% and intermodal units up 8.6%, for a total year-to-date increase of 1.7% over the same period in 2020.
North American totals for 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads include 334,878 carloads, down 0.3%; 375,170 intermodal units, up 19.3%, and 710,048 total carloads and intermodal units, up 9.2%. In Canada, the 81,996 total carloads represented a 2.8% decrease over the same week in 2020, while the 76,123 intermodal units represent a 19.1% increase.
