WASHINGTON — A double-digit drop in intermodal traffic dragged down U.S. rail volume for the first week of 2023, according to statistics for the Association of American Railroads.
For the week ending Jan. 7, overall traffic was 416,489 carloads and intermodal units, a 5.5% drop from the corresponding week in 2022. That included 212,962 carloads, a 1.4% increase from the same week in 2022, and 203,527 containers and trailers, an 11.8% drop.
The week’s results continue the slump that ended 2022. Traffic was down 5.5%, 4.8%, and 6.8% for the final three weeks of the old year, compared to the end of 2021.
Overall North American traffic, for 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, was 576,720 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.1%. That included 305,444 carloads, up 5.4%, and 271,276 intermodal units, down 9.4%.
How much of the traffic drop is the result of the 1000 or so embargos that UP has had in the last year.