AAR reports carload and intermodal gains for week ending May 13

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes were each up for the week ending May 13, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads increased 7 percent annually to 255,361, which topped the week ending May 6 at 252,182 and below the weeks ending April 29 and April 22 at 258,476 and 257,283, respectively.

AAR said that nine of the ten carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including grain, up 26.3 percent to 23,256 carloads; coal, up 14.5 percent to 74,290 carloads; and nonmetallic minerals, up 6.5 percent to 38,167 carloads. One commodity group posted a decrease compared with the same week in 2016: petroleum and petroleum products, down 20.1 percent to 9,387 carloads.

Intermodal container and trailer volume was up 4.4 percent annually at 271,609, which topped the week ending May 6 at 264,123, the week ending April 29 at 269,354, and the week ending April 22 at 257,848.

Through the first 19 weeks of 2017, the AAR said that U.S. rail carloads are up 6.5 percent annually at 4,853,945, and intermodal containers and trailers are up 1.8 percent at 4,975,413.