(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, April 20, 2022)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending April 16, 2022.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 489,801 carloads and intermodal units, down 8.1 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending April 16 were 221,228 carloads, down 6.8 percent compared with the same week in 2021, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 268,573 containers and trailers, down 9.2 percent compared to 2021.
Two of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2021. They were chemicals, up 849 carloads, to 33,090; and coal, up 2 carloads, to 61,550. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2021 included grain, down 6,632 carloads, to 19,602; metallic ores and metals, down 4,136 carloads, to 20,638; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 2,358 carloads, to 8,466.
For the first 15 weeks of 2022, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,444,827 carloads, up 1.9 percent from the same point last year; and 3,910,355 intermodal units, down 6.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 15 weeks of 2022 was 7,355,182 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 2.9 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending April 16, 2022, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 319,064 carloads, down 6.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 354,060 intermodal units, down 8.1 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 673,124 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.5 percent. North American rail volume for the first 15 weeks of 2022 was 9,987,458 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.9 percent compared with 2021.
Canadian railroads reported 75,273 carloads for the week, down 9.3 percent, and 71,623 intermodal units, down 0.03 percent compared with the same week in 2021. For the first 15 weeks of 2022, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,083,303 carloads, containers and trailers, down 8.5 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 22,563 carloads for the week, up 2.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 13,864 intermodal units, down 23 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 15 weeks of 2022 was 548,973 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 1.4 percent from the same point last year.