U.S. freight-rail traffic declined 2.1 percent to 518,290 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending Sept. 26 compared with the same week in a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR).
Railroads hauled 224,146 carloads during the week, a 10.5 percent year-over-year decrease. But intermodal volume climbed 5.5 percent to 294,144 containers and trailers, AAR officials said in a press release.
Three of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks every week posted increases during the week. They were grain, up 7,7061 carloads to 24,995; farm products excluding grain, and food, up 464 carloads to 15,666; and motor vehicles and parts, up 421 carloads to 16,340.
Commodity groups that logged decreases included coal, down 21,008 carloads to 58,220; nonmetallic minerals, down 5,357 to 29,977; and chemicals, down 2,937 to 30,078.
Meanwhile, Canadian railroads moved 81,142 carloads, down 3.4 percent; and 76,337 intermodal units, up 3.8 percent. Mexican railroads hauled 19,591 carloads, down 12.9 percent; and 18,272 intermodal units, down 14.2 percent.
Individual Class Is reported the following carload activity during the week compared with the same week in 2019: BNSF Railway, 88,004 carloads, down from 99,855; Canadian Pacific, 35,525, down from 35,530; CN, 59,397, down from 63,754; CSX, 63,898, down from 70,165; Kansas City Southern, 14,036, down from 15,926; Norfolk Southern Railway, 55,317, down from 63,170; and Union Pacific Railroad, 80,049, down from 85,510.
For the first 39 weeks of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019:
• U.S. railroads reported 18,083,402 carloads and intermodal units, down 10.7 percent;
• Canadian railroads reported 5,474,214 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.7 percent; and
• Mexican railroads reported 1,349,769 carloads and intermodal units, down 9.8 percent.