WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic remains below 2021 levels, albeit only by a slight margin for the week ending Aug. 13, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads.
For the week, U.S. Class I railroads moved 502,775 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.3% from the same week in 2021. That includes 237,851 carloads, up 1.3%, and 264,924 trailers and containers, down 1.8%.
Grain, up 10.5%, and coal, up 3.7%, bolstered the carload figures.
Totals for 32 weeks of 2022 show overall traffic down 3.1%, with carloads down 0.1% and intermodal traffic down 5.6%. Volume is averaging 494,149 carloads and intermodal units per week.
North American totals for the week, from 12 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, include 333,905 carloads, up 1.5% compared to the corresponding week in 2021; 356,333 intermodal units, down 1.3%, and 690,238 carloads, even with the 2021 figure. Year-to-date figures have overall traffic down 2.9% compared to the first 32 weeks of 2021.
