WASHINGTON – U.S. rail traffic declined 2.3% in 2023, with intermodal down 4.9% and carload traffic up 0.7% compared to 2022, the Association of American Railroads reported today.
“Total U.S. rail carloads were up 2% in the fourth quarter of 2023 over the fourth quarter of 2022, while U.S. intermodal was up 5.5% over the same period. That means Q4 was clearly the best quarter of 2023 for U.S. rail volumes on a year-over-year basis,” AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray said in a statement. “It appears that intense rail efforts to improve service quality are paying off. Railroads are hopeful that gains in the fourth quarter will carry over into the first quarter of 2024 and beyond.”
Compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019, overall U.S. rail traffic was down 8.7% in 2023, with intermodal slumping 7.7% and carload traffic down 9.8%, according to AAR data. A big factor in the carload numbers: A 14.5% drop in coal volume between 2019 and 2023.
In December 2023, carloads originating on U.S. railroads were up 7.3% compared to December 2022. Intermodal originations in the U.S. were up 10.2% for the month. Combined volume grew 8.8% compared to December 2022.
In December 2023, 16 of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with December 2022. These included: chemicals, up 13.1%; coal, up 5.9%; and motor vehicles and parts, up 14.1%. Commodities that saw declines in December 2023 from December 2022 included: crushed stone, sand and gravel, down 4.1%; nonmetallic minerals, down 9.8%; and all other carloads, down 3.3%.
North American rail volume was down 2.1% in 2023, the AAR said. Canadian traffic declined 2.4%, while Mexico traffic increased 2.1%.
