WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 11 was up slightly over the same week in 2023, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads.
Total volume for the week was 468,748 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.6% from the corresponding week a year ago. That included 209,319 carloads, down 7% from the same week in 2023, and 259,429 containers and trailers, up 7.7%.
Year-to-date figures, through 19 weeks of 2024, show carload traffic down 4.9% compared to the same period a year ago, while intermodal traffic is up 8.7%. Overall, traffic is up by 2%.
North American figures for the week, from 10 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, include 321,482 carloads, down 2.6% from the same week a year ago, and 345,901 intermodal units, up 7.4%. The overall total of 667,383 carloads and intermodal units represents a 2.3% increase. Year-to-date totals through the first 19 weeks of 2024 show a 2.1% increase over 2024.
Coal and minerals are the only down. They for most part travel on well-defined routes. This means other routes are increasing freight travel. Has any route noted some congestion for the higher freight amounts which will not be even over whole USA?