AAR reports carload and intermodal declines for week ending August 13

United States rail carloads and intermodal loadings were down annually for the week ending August 13, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Carloads were down 7.1 percent at 267,589, which was below the weeks ending August 6 and July 30 at 268,006 and 274,355, respectively.

The AAR said that three of the 10 carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including grain up 27.6 percent to 25,232 carloads and chemicals up 4.3 percent to 30,447 carloads. Petroleum and petroleum products were down 25.2 percent to 10,484 carloads and coal, was down 16.4 percent to 88,905 carloads. 

Intermodal containers and trailers were down 3.4 percent annually at 266,944, which was ahead of the weeks ending August 6 and July 30 at 263,589 and 262,561, respectively.

On a year-to-date basis through the first 32 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 7,856,178 carloads, down 11.8 from the same point last year; and 8,245,937 intermodal units, down 2.8 percent from last year.