WASHINGTON — With a significant drop in intermodal traffic dragging down the overall number, U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Feb. 11 showed the biggest decline for any week so far this year, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads.
The overall traffic of 473,972 carloads and intermodal units represented a 6.2% decline over the same week in 2022. That included 240,590 trailers and containers, a 10.2% drop, and 233,382 carloads, a 1.6% decrease.
Traffic has been down over 2022 figures all six weeks so far in 2023. The previous biggest drop was in 2023’s first week, with a decline of 5.5%. Year-to-date totals show carload traffic up 1% and intermodal traffic down 7.7%, for an overall decline of 3.6%.
North American totals for the week, from 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, include 335,732 carloads, up 1.4%; 316,515 intermodal units, down 9.8%; and total traffic of 652,247 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.3%. Overall traffic through six weeks is down 1.8% compared to the same period in 2022.
