(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, May 24, 2023)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 20, 2023.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 470,694 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending May 20 were 225,093 carloads, down 0.4 percent compared with the same week in 2022, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 245,601 containers and trailers, down 9.3 percent compared to 2022.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2022. They included motor vehicles and parts, up 1,953 carloads, to 15,737; metallic ores and metals, up 1,846 carloads, to 22,379; and nonmetallic minerals, up 1,073 carloads, to 32,870. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2022 included grain, down 2,600 carloads, to 17,807; coal, down 2,537 carloads, to 63,072; and chemicals, down 816 carloads, to 31,588.
For the first 20 weeks of 2023, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 4,485,236 carloads, up 0.6 percent from the same point last year; and 4,658,692 intermodal units, down 10.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 20 weeks of 2023 was 9,143,928 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 5.6 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending May 20, 2023, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 330,235 carloads, up 0.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 331,392 intermodal units, down 9.3 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 661,627 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.8 percent. North American rail volume for the first 20 weeks of 2023 was 12,894,181 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.1 percent compared with 2022.
Canadian railroads reported 87,662 carloads for the week, up 1.3 percent, and 74,548 intermodal units, down 10.3 percent compared with the same week in 2022. For the first 20 weeks of 2023, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,199,107 carloads, containers and trailers, down 0.4 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 17,480 carloads for the week, up 4.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 11,243 intermodal units, down 3.1 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 20 weeks of 2023 was 551,146 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.4 percent from the same point last year.