Rail traffic slide continues

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The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 20, 2020.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 457,278 carloads and intermodal units, down 12.9 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending June 20 were 201,823 carloads, down 21.8 percent compared with the same week in 2019, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 255,455 containers and trailers, down 4.4 percent compared to 2019.

None of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2019. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2019 included coal, down 26,340 carloads, to 52,392; metallic ores and metals, down 8,176 carloads, to 14,459; and nonmetallic minerals, down 6,839 carloads, to 29,478.

For the first 25 weeks of 2020, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 5,306,511 carloads, down 15.7 percent from the same point last year; and 5,933,616 intermodal units, down 10.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 25 weeks of 2020 was 11,240,127 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 13.2 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending June 20, 2020, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 294,794 carloads, down 19.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 334,884 intermodal units, down 6 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 629,678 carloads and intermodal units, down 12.7 percent. North American rail volume for the first 25 weeks of 2020 was 15,545,401 carloads and intermodal units, down 11.9 percent compared with 2019

Canadian railroads reported 72,171 carloads for the week, down 14.9 percent, and 64,537 intermodal units, down 7.7 percent compared with the same week in 2019. For the first 25 weeks of 2020, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,465,280 carloads, containers and trailers, down 8 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 20,800 carloads for the week, down 7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 14,892 intermodal units, down 21.5 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 25 weeks of 2020 was 839,994 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 10.2 percent from the same point last year.

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