North America - In a year when all of the big Class I railroads lost volume due to the economic impact of the pandemic, Canadian Pacific came out on top.
 
CP's volume declined 2.2 percent in 2020, well above the average 6.8 percent decline of the big six systems, according to a Trains News Wire review of the railroads' weekly carload reports.
 
CP led the big six systems in volume growth in 2019, too.
 
CSX Transportation, which placed second with a 5.7 percent decline in overall traffic in 2020, posted the largest intermodal gain in the industry.
 
The railroad's intermodal volume grew 1.5 percent.
 
CP, at a 0.3 percent gain, was the only other railroad in positive intermodal territory.
 
Canadian National, with an overall volume decline of 6.1 percent, was the only other railroad above the industry average.
 
In the western U.S., Union Pacific edged out BNSF Railway.
 
UP's traffic fell 7 percent for the year, while BNSF's declined 7.6 percent.
 
The cellar dweller for the year was Norfolk Southern, which suffered the deepest declines in intermodal, carload, and coal traffic.
 
Its overall volume was down 11.9 percent.
 
Bill Stephens.