Week 37 rail traffic dips, year-to-date stays higher

The evidence from the Association of American Railroads reports that week 37 saw a slight dip in rail traffic; however, the year-to-date numbers are much more positive. The rail network plays a crucial role in the energy sector. For generations, the American people have relied heavily on the goods and services delivered via the famous US rail network. Commodities such as goods and grain make use of the integral network of stations to deliver their goods to parts of the nation that would otherwise be unreachable. The coal sector is one of the industries that relies heavily on the system.

The weekly drop in rail traffic continues, while the year-to-date numbers are still promising

The aforementioned railroad network delivers power-packed coal to sites for production all across the United States. Thanks to the invaluable reports from the Association of American Railroads, we get a glimpse into the weekly and year-to-date traffic numbers. Week 36 saw a significant drop in weekly traffic, so we can all take solace in the fact that week 37’s numbers are looking much more reasonable.

The drop in weekly traffic could be attributed to several reasons, including market decline, rise in prices, and inflation, among others. However, the year-to-date numbers are still well above this period last year, so the outlook is not so glum.

Week 37 sees a slight drop in weekly rail traffic in North America

The reports coming from the AAR are promising, to say the least. Week 36 saw a sizable drop, so industry insiders were hoping for week 37 to be slightly better, and it was. Weekly rail traffic was down 1.6% compared with the same week last year, with 514,167 carloads and intermodal units, respectively. The carload side of the network saw 231,237 carloads, down 0.5% compared with the same week in 2024.

The AAR also keeps track of all rail traffic across North America. Mexico and Canada play a crucial role in the transportation of commodities across borders, which only strengthens relations and establishes new markets. Canada saw a slight gain, while Mexico reported intermodal loads growing nearly 15% and carloads plummeting almost 11%.

Carload Commodity groups are evenly split for the 37th week of this year

The AAR tracks commodities for the ten carload commodity groups and reported some interesting numbers. While some saw significant increases in rail traffic, others faced a much more grim reality for week 37. Here are the groups that saw their numbers increase in week 37:

• Chemicals: up 2,446 carloads to 34,891
• Motor vehicles and parts: up 765 carloads, to 17,608
• Nonmetallic minerals: up 732 carloads to 32,754

While those increases are promising for the companies concerned, not everyone had a great week. Let’s take a look at the carload commodity groups that saw a  decrease in numbers for week 37:

• Coal: down 2,321 carloads, to 60,817
• Miscellaneous carloads: down 1,947 carloads, to 8,776
• Farm products excl. Grain and food: down 834 carloads to 16,382

Despite the uncertain week-by-week numbers that the AAR provides us, the year-to-date numbers are still looking good. The cumulative traffic for this year was much more positive. U.S. railroads reported a cumulative volume of 8,194,763 carloads, up 2.3% from last year, and 10,007,894 intermodal units, up 3.8%. The industry as a whole can take solace in the fact that the weekly decline is slowing.

The energy sector will remain reliant on the United States’ rail network

It is certain that the railway network that the Association of American Railroads monitors will play an integral role in the energy sector for many years to come. Especially when we take the recent news of the draft and tow restrictions in the Mississippi into account. The cumulative rail volume across the North America region is down for the week of 37; however, the United States, Canada, and Mexico can see the silver lining in the transport cloud that has enveloped the continent, thanks to the year-to-date report.