U.S. weekly rail volumes rose 16.1% year-over-year as last year’s pandemic-induced volume downturn reflects uneven comparisons, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR). However, macroeconomic indicators still point to continued strength in the consumer economy, which could support rail volumes into the second quarter.
Weekly U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Saturday was 521,731 carloads and intermodal units. Of that, carloads rose 6% compared with the same period last year to 232,561 carloads, while intermodal units were up 25.8% to 289,170 containers and trailers.
