U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed, for week ending March 9, reports AAR

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the week ending March 9, were mixed, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads, at 214,585, fell 3.7% annually, topping the week ending March 2, at 220,406, and trailing the week ending February 24, at 224,251.

AAR said that five of the 10 carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: chemicals, up 1,916 carloads, to 33,713; petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,399 carloads, to 9,930; and metallic ores and metals, up 685 carloads, to 18,882. Commodity groups posting annual declines included coal, down 8,963 carloads, to 55,963; nonmetallic minerals, down 2,691 carloads, to 28,505; and miscellaneous carloads, down 726 carloads, to 7,791.

Intermodal containers and trailers, at 258,077, saw a 13.5% annual gain, trailing the weeks ending March 2 and February 24, at 263,732, and 259,405, respectively.

Through the first 10 weeks of 2024, AAR reported that U.S. rail carload volume, at 2,125,301 carloads, down 4.5% annually; and 2,504,403 intermodal units, up 8.5% annually. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 10 weeks of 2024 was 4,629,704 carloads and intermodal units, for a 2.1% annual gain.

North American rail volume for the week ending March 9, 2024, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 321,441 carloads, down 3.2% compared with the same week last year, and 342,181 intermodal units, up 12.0 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 663,622 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.1%. North American rail volume for the first 10 weeks of 2024 was 6,467,217 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.4% compared with 2023