The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported July 7 US and Canadian rail traffic volumes for the week of July 3, 2021.
For some rail traffic categories, percentage changes for the current week compared with the same week in 2020 are inflated due to the widespread shutdowns — and subsequent large reduction in rail volumes — that impacted many economic sectors last year at this time.
US railroads originated 1,386,745 carloads and intermodal units in June 2021, up +11% from the same week last year.
Total US combined rail traffic for the first six months of 2021 was 13,334,592 carloads and intermodal units, up +14% from the same period last year.
Regarding North American rail volume for the first 26 weeks of 2021, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,921,754 carloads, containers, and trailers, up +9% from the same week one year ago.