Weekly Rail Traffic for July and the Week Ending August 3, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. - August 7, 2024

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending August 3, 2024, as well as volumes for July 2024.

U.S. railroads originated 1,073,191 carloads in July 2024, down 2.1 percent, or 23,353 carloads, from July 2023. U.S. railroads also originated 1,319,818 containers and trailers in July 2024, up 8.4 percent, or 102,549 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in July 2024 were 2,393,009, up 3.4 percent, or 79,196 carloads and intermodal units from July 2023.

In July 2024, 12 of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with July 2023. These included: grain, up 19,690 carloads or 26.5 percent; chemicals, up 4,797 carloads or 3.1 percent; and petroleum & petroleum products, up 4,048 carloads or 8.5 percent. Commodities that saw declines in July 2024 from July 2023 included: coal, down 35,167 carloads or 11.0 percent; crushed stone, sand & gravel, down 11,563 carloads or 10.6 percent; and motor vehicles & parts, down 6,436 carloads or 9.1 percent.

Excluding coal, carloads were up 11,814 carloads, or 1.5 percent, in July 2024 from July 2023. Excluding coal and grain, carloads were down 7,876 carloads, or 1.1 percent.

Total U.S. carload traffic for the first seven months of 2024 was 6,642,565 carloads, down 4.1 percent, or 286,356 carloads, from the same period last year; and 7,962,928 intermodal units, up 8.6 percent, or 631,898 containers and trailers, from last year.

Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 31 weeks of 2024 was 14,605,493 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 2.4 percent compared to last year.

Week Ending August 3, 2024

Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 498,807 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.7 percent compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending August 3 were 219,568 carloads, down 1.2 percent compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 279,239 containers and trailers, up 11.8 percent compared to 2023.

Six of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included chemicals, up 2,971 carloads, to 33,218; petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,629 carloads, to 11,016; and grain, up 1,368 carloads, to 17,022. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 5,528 carloads, to 58,978; nonmetallic minerals, down 2,052 carloads, to 31,312; and metallic ores and metals, down 1,357 carloads, to 20,721.

North American rail volume for the week ending August 3, 2024, on 10 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 322,520 carloads, down 1.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 351,513 intermodal units, up 6.1 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 674,033 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.5 percent. North American rail volume for the first 31 weeks of 2024 was 20,471,828 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.3 percent compared with 2023.

Canadian railroads reported 90,465 carloads for the week, up 1.6 percent, and 64,067 intermodal units, down 10.6 percent compared with the same week in 2023. For the first 31 weeks of 2024, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 4,958,371 carloads, containers and trailers, up 1.5 percent.

Mexican railroads reported 12,487 carloads for the week, down 17.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 8,207 intermodal units, down 15.8 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 31 weeks of 2024 was 907,964 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 4.2 percent from the same point last year.

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For more information, contact: AAR Media Relations at [email protected] or 202-639-2345.

About AAR: The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the world's leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on the safety and productivity of rail carriers. AAR members include the major freight railroads of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, as well as Amtrak. Learn more at www.aar.org.

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