WASHINGTON — The Thanksgiving holiday once again made for a big change in U.S. weekly rail traffic statistics. This time, that change was negative.
U.S. rail traffic was down 13.8% from the same week in 2023, a week after it showed a whopping 25.6% gain [see “Weekly U.S. rail traffic shows major bump,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 27, 2024]. The biggest factor, in both cases, was where Thanksgiving fell — in the 47th week of 2023, and the 48th week of 2024 — with less traffic moved because of the holiday.
According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, total traffic for the week ending Nov. 30 was 439,362 carloads and intermodal units. That included 189,746 carloads, a drop of 19.9% from the same week in 2023, and 249,616 containers and trailers, down 8.5%.
Through 48 weeks, carload volume is down 3.1% compared to the same point in 2023, while intermodal traffic is up 9.1%. The combined volume is up 3.2% compared to the first 48 weeks of 2023.
The drop in U.S. traffic also made for declines in weekly North American stats, as reported by nine U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads. They moved 292,216 carloads, down 16.1% from a year earlier, and 331,822 intermodal units, down 6.6%. That made for an overall decline of 11.3% compared to the same week in 2023.
Year-to-date North American figures show a 2.2% increase in overall traffic. That includes a 0.9% decline in Canada through 48 weeks, and a 3% gain in Mexico compared to the same period a year ago.
Comparing the 2 Thanksgiving weeks together would give a better picture. Someone could do it but since not being able to post in the general forum makes that a rather pointless endeavor. Brings up the question when will it be access be fixed Trains? I have been locked out since July 26th.