AAR reports on the latest North American rail activity

For this week, total US weekly rail traffic totalled 528 547 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.8% compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week amounted to 232 550 carloads (down 2% compared with the same week in 2020), while US weekly intermodal volumes were reported as 295 997 containers and trailers (up 12.8% compared to 2020).

Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2020. They included: grain (up 8246 carloads to 27 613); metallic ores and metals (up 1715 carloads to 23 325); and farm products – excluding grain and food – (up 1621 carloads to 16 818). Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2020 included coal (down 12 609 carloads to 57 665); non-metallic minerals (down 4411 carloads to 25 582); and miscellaneous carloads (down 402 carloads to 9755).

For the first two weeks of 2021, US railroads reported a cumulative volume of 467 954 carloads (down 1.8% from the same point last year); and 585 846 intermodal units (up 11.6% from last year). Total combined US traffic for the first two weeks of 2021 was 1.05 million carloads and intermodal units (an increase of 5.2% compared to last year).

North American rail volumes for the week ending 16 January 2021, on 12 reporting US, Canadian, and Mexican railroads totalled 340 432 carloads (up 4.2% compared with the same week last year), and 386 001 intermodal units (up 12.9% compared with last year). Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 726 433 carloads and intermodal units (up 8.6%). North American rail volume for the first two weeks of 2021 was 1.43 million carloads and intermodal units (up 5.8% compared with 2020).

Canadian railroads reported 86 133 carloads for the week (up 23.9%) and 74 486 intermodal units (up 21.3% compared with the same week in 2020). For the first two weeks of 2021, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 312 017 carloads, containers, and trailers (up 11.3%).

Mexican railroads reported 21 749 carloads for the week (up 8.4% compared with the same week last year) and 15 518 intermodal units (down 14.4%). Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first two weeks of 2021 was 69 992 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers (down 7.7% from the same point last year).