AAR reports mixed carload and intermodal volumes for week ending April 22

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported this week that United States rail carload and intermodal volumes were mixed for the week ending April 22.

Rail carloads rose 11.6 percent annually to 257,283, which topped the week ending April 15 at 255,485 and the week ending April 8 at 252,056.

And six of the 10 carload commodity groups tracked by the AAR saw annual gains, with coal, up 30.9 percent to 76,864 carloads; grain, up 28.7 percent to 23,521 carloads; and metallic ores and metals, up 12.8 percent to 25,194 carloads. Motor vehicles and parts fell 11 percent to 17,030 carloads, and petroleum and petroleum products were off 8.9 percent to 10,346 carloads, and miscellaneous carloads, down 6.4 percent to 8,913 carloads.

Intermodal container and trailers fell 1.3 percent annually to 257,848, which was below the 263,833 recorded the week of April 15 and the 260,966 recorded the week of April 8.

Through the first 16 weeks of 2017, the AAR said that U.S. rail carloads are up 6.4 percent annually at 4,088,926, and intermodal containers and trailers are up 1.5 percent at 4,170,327.