Weekly U.S. rail traffic remains up

This story originally appeared on Trains.com.

WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail volume showed a solid increase for the seven days ending July 27, with overall traffic up 5.3% over the same period a year earlier.

Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show railroads moved 508,496 carloads and intermodal units for the week. That includes 228,845 carloads, down 0.5% from the corresponding week in 2023, and 279,651 containers and trailers, up 10.5%.

Through 30 weeks, carload traffic is down 4.2% in 2024 while intermodal volume is up 8.5%, for a total combined increase of 2.3% compared to the same period last year.

North American figures for the week, from 10 reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, include 329,218 carloads, down 2.4% from the same week a year ago, and 356,464 intermodal units, up 6.6%. The total of 685,682 carloads and intermodal units represents a 2% increase. The 30-week total volume is up 2.3% compared to the same period in 2023. In Canada, volume through 30 weeks is up 1.6% compared to a year ago; in Mexico, the year-to-date traffic is 4.8% ahead of the 30-week figure of a year ago.