This story originally aired on Trains.com.
U.S. rail traffic saw another surge in the week ending Aug. 24, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads.
U.S. railroads handled 516,807 carloads and intermodal units, a 9.5% increase over the same week in 2023. That included 228,858 carloads, up 1.2%, and 287,949 containers and trailers, up 17.1%.
This followed an 8% gain in the week ending Aug. 17 and likely reflects, at least in part, the labor issues in Canada that shut down Canadian National and CPKC Aug. 22-25. Canadian traffic figures for the latest week, which include the first three days of that shutdown, show 65,550 carloads for the week, a 22% drop, and 49,890 intermodal units, a 28% decline.
Year-to-date traffic in the U.S., through 34 weeks of 2024, shows carload volume down 3.7% and intermodal traffic up 9.1%, for an overall gain of 2.9%.
North American figures for the week, from nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, included 310,429 carloads, down 4.5%; and 350,204 intermodal units, up 7.1. The total volume of 660,633 carloads and intermodal units represents a 1.3% increase.
In Mexico, volume for the week was 16,021 carloads, up 6.8% from the corresponding week in 2023, and 12,365 intermodal units, up 5.7%. Year-to-date traffic in Mexico is up 3.8%, while in Canada it is up 0.5%.
Association of American Railroads.
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