WASHINGTON — Reduced intermodal traffic continued to drop weekly U.S. rail volume below 2020 levels, despite an increase in carloads, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads.
For the week ending Sept. 25, U.S. railroads moved 511,713 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.3% from the corresponding week in 2020. That included 272,644 containers and trailers, a 7.3% drop from the same week a year ago, and 239,069 carloads, an increase of 6.6%.
The figures did represent increases over the previous week in 2021, when railroads originated 505,622 carloads and intermodal units, including 270,832 intermodal units and 234,790 carloads.
Year-to-date figures, through 38 weeks, remain ahead of 2020, with carloads up 8%, intermodal units up 10.4%, and total traffic up 9.3%.
North American totals for the week, for 12 railroads in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, show 338,697 carloads, a 4.6% increase over the same week in 2020, and 358,622 intermodal units, a 7.3% decrease. The overall volume of 697,319 carloads and intermodal units represents a 1.9% decrease over the corresponding week a year ago.
I wonder how much if any of the drop in intermodal traffic has to do with the congestion at the ports in Long Beach.