North American rail freight by commodity type 2020-2021
Coal was the leading commodity hauled by rail across the North American market, reaching over 4.4 million carloads in 2021. This was an increase of close to 11 percent compared to 2020, when the coal industry was affected by the economic downturn, downward slope in demand, and manufacturing standstill caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This recovery was visible across other commodity types: the volume of chemicals hauled across the region rose by some 5.6 percent between 2020 and 2021. Chemicals were the second largest commodity transported by rail across North America. By contrast, motor vehicles and parts, farm products, and petroleum, including petroleum products, recorded a dip in carloads.
