WASHINGTON — A drop in carload traffic was more than offset by strong intermodal numbers, allowing U.S. rail traffic to remain above 2023 volume for the week ending Nov. 16.
According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, total traffic for the week was 516,886 carloads and intermodal units, a 3.2% gain from the same week a year ago. Those figures included 223,659 carloads, down 5.6% from the corresponding week in 2023, and 293,227 containers and trailers, up 11.1%.
Through 46 weeks of 2024, carload traffic is down 3.1% and intermodal volume is up 9.1% compared to the same period in 2023, good over an overall increase of 3.2%.
The week’s North American volume, from nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, includes 333,382 carloads, down 4.3% from the same week a year ago, and 347,859 intermodal units, up 1.8%. That made for an overall decline of 1.3% compared to the same week in 2023. Year-to-date North American numbers show a 2.2% gain compaired to the first 46 weeks of 2023. That includes a 0.8% decline in Canada and a 2.6% increase in Mexico.
