U.S. rail and intermodal volumes are mixed for week ending October 24, reports AAR
United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the week ending October 24, were mixed, according to data recently issued by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
Rail carloads—at 227,543—were off 6.5% annually, topping the week ending October 17, at 226,828, and trailing the week ending October 10, at 230,964.
AAR said that five of the 10 carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: grain, up 4,901 carloads, to 26,044; chemicals, up 831 carloads, to 30,947; and motor vehicles and parts, up 602 carloads, to 15,462. Commodity groups with annual declines included coal, down 15,756 carloads, to 57,536; nonmetallic minerals, down 3,360 carloads, to 31,072; and petroleum and petroleum products, down 2,827 carloads, to 10,169.
Intermodal containers and trailers—at 295,110—saw a 9.5% annual gain, coming in ahead of the weeks ending October 17 and October 10, at 291,935 and 289,488, respectively.
On a year-to-date basis, through the first 43 weeks of 2020, AAR reported that U.S. rail carloads—at 9,253,138—are off 14.7% compared to the same period a year ago, and intermodal units—at 10,910,138—are down 4.8%.
