Continuing pattern – carloads down, intermodal up, bringing total carloads up
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
Carloads down. Intermodal up.
Total carloads up.
David C. Lester
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending November 14, 2020.
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 527,462 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.2 percent compared with the same week last year.
Total carloads for the week ending November 14 were 232,146 carloads, down 3.1 percent compared with the same week in 2019, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 295,316 containers and trailers, up 12.9 percent compared to 2019.
Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2019. They included grain, up 6,783 carloads, to 29,123; farm products excluding grain, and food, up 1,046 carloads, to 16,384; and metallic ores and metals, up 587 carloads, to 19,581. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2019 included coal, down 12,148 carloads, to 60,414; petroleum and petroleum products, down 3,211 carloads, to 10,744; and nonmetallic minerals, down 1,125 carloads, to 29,067.
For the first 46 weeks of 2020, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 9,941,003 carloads, down 14.1 percent from the same point last year; and 11,793,296 intermodal units, down 3.7 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 46 weeks of 2020 was 21,734,299 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 8.8 percent compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending November 14, 2020, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 331,165 carloads, down 3.5 percent compared with the same week last year, and 387,035 intermodal units, up 12.2 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 718,200 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.4 percent. North American rail volume for the first 46 weeks of 2020 was 29,906,034 carloads and intermodal units, down 8.2 percent compared with 2019.
Canadian railroads reported 79,874 carloads for the week, down 3.9 percent, and 77,390 intermodal units, up 18.9 percent compared with the same week in 2019. For the first 46 weeks of 2020, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,580,548 carloads, containers and trailers, down 5.7 percent.
Mexican railroads reported 19,145 carloads for the week, down 7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 14,329 intermodal units, down 21.4 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 46 weeks of 2020 was 1,591,187 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 10.3 percent from the same point last year.
For more information, visit aar.org.
