Intermodal Continues Double Digit Gains

Intermodal traffic continued to post double-digit gains last week.

For the week ending Jan. 9, total U.S. rail traffic was 525,253 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 4.7 percent over the same week in 2020.

The Association of American Railroads said total carloads of 235,404 fell 1.6 percent compared with the same week last year.

But the intermodal volume of 289,849 containers and trailers was a 10.4 percent gain over 2020.

Four of the 10 carload commodity groups saw gains compared with the same week last year.

These included grain, up 9,386 carloads, to 27,650; metallic ores and metals, up 2,524 carloads, to 23,600; and chemicals, up 2,458 carloads, to 36,195.

Declines were registered by coal, down 10,088 carloads, to 60,780; nonmetallic minerals, down 4,640 carloads, to 25,395; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 3,144 carloads, to 11,167.

Tags: AAR freight statistics, Association of American Railroads, U.S. freight traffic, U.S. freight volume, U.S. railroad freight traffic