Rail traffic for the week ending April 24, 2021

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending April 24, 2021.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 538,184 carloads and intermodal units, up 30 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending April 24 were 240,075 carloads, up 25 percent compared with the same week in 2020, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 298,109 containers and trailers, up 34.3 percent compared to 2020.

All of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2020. They included coal, up 16,126 carloads, to 64,252; motor vehicles and parts, up 9,067 carloads, to 11,302; and chemicals, up 6,759 carloads, to 34,843.

For the first 16 weeks of 2021, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,622,079 carloads, up 1.5 percent from the same point last year; and 4,493,689 intermodal units, up 16.8 percent from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 16 weeks of 2021 was 8,115,768 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 9.4 percent compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending April 24, 2021, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 339,075 carloads, up 22.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 386,455 intermodal units, up 27.2 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 725,530 carloads and intermodal units, up 24.8 percent. North American rail volume for the first 16 weeks of 2021 was 11,115,479 carloads and intermodal units, up 8.4 percent compared with 2020.

Canadian railroads reported 77,900 carloads for the week, up 8.6 percent, and 71,311 intermodal units, up 2.3 percent compared with the same week in 2020. For the first 16 weeks of 2021, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 2,424,692 carloads, containers and trailers, up 7.1 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 21,100 carloads for the week, up 52.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 17,035 intermodal units, up 40.5 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 16 weeks of 2021 was 575,019 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 0.6 percent from the same point last year.