Rail Freight Traffic Up 12.4% Last Week

U.S. rail freight traffic for the week ending June 26 was was 516,167 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 12.4 percent compared with the same week in 2020

The Association of American Railroads said this included 237,117 carloads, an increase of 17.7 percent, and 279,050 containers and trailers, an increase of 8.2 percent

It was the fourth consecutive week that U.S traffic totals rose similarly compared with the same period in 2020.

Nine of the 10 carload commodity groups posted increases. They included coal, up 15,472 carloads, to 66,595; metallic ores and metals, up 8,814 carloads, to 23,869; and nonmetallic minerals, up 3,756 carloads, to 33,067.

Only motor vehicles and parts posted a decline falling by 717 carloads to 12,662.

For the first 25 weeks of 2021, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 5,765,679 carloads, rising 8.9 percent over the same week in 2020. They handled 7,055,994 intermodal units, increasing 17.7 percent over 2020.

Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 25 weeks of 2021 was 12,821,673 carloads and intermodal units, up 13.6 percent.

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