North American rail traffic up 1.7% for the week ending March 23

The Association of American Railroads, AAR, reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 23. AAR also weighed in on the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and how railroads are working to limit disruptions. “The top priority following the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge must be supporting the individuals and families impacted,” said AAR SVP of Policy and Economics Dr. Rand Ghayad. “At this time, there are many unknowns about the long-term business impacts. However, recent years have shown us the resilience of railroads and the broader logistics sector in adapting swiftly to challenges while continuing to serve our customers. Those lessons will be put to work in the days ahead to minimize disruption to the fullest extent possible.” For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 470,593 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.1% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending March 23 were 215,277 carloads, down 6.1% compared with the same week in 2023, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 255,316 containers and trailers, up 10.2% compared to 2023. Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2023. They included grain, up 2,735 carloads, to 21,467; chemicals, up 1,822 carloads, to 33,702; and motor vehicles and parts, up 888 carloads, to 16,109. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2023 included coal, down 14,169 carloads, to 53,727; nonmetallic minerals, down 2,835 carloads, to 27,607; and metallic ores and metals, down 2,129 carloads, to 18,519. North American rail volume for the week ending March 23, on 10 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 324,001 carloads, down 5.3% compared with the same week last year, and 340,799 intermodal units, up 9.4% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 664,800 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.7%.. North American rail volume for the first 12 weeks of 2024 was 7,798,583 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.8% compared with 2023. Publicly traded companies in the space include CSX (CSX), Canadian National (CNI), Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP), Kansas City Southern (KSU), Norfolk Southern (NSC), Union Pacific (UNP), Greenbrier (GBX),Trinity Industries (TRN), FreightCar America (RAIL), Wabtec (WAB) and Rail Vision (RVSN).