AAR reports carload and intermodal gains for week ending October 14

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported this week that United States rail carload and intermodal volumes were up for the week ending October 14.  

Carloads increased 0.5% annually to 264,161, which trailed the week ending October 7 at 269,336 and the week ending September 30 at 272,662.

AAR said four of the ten carload commodity groups tracked by the AAR saw annual gains, including: nonmetallic minerals, up 4,974 carloads, to 40,007; metallic ores and metals, up 3,454 carloads, to 22,306; and chemicals, up 1,805 carloads, to 30,961. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 included grain, down 5,369 carloads, to 21,930; petroleum and petroleum products, down 1,533 carloads, to 8,959; and coal, down 1,419 carloads, to 86,292.

Intermodal containers and trailers headed up 5.5% annually to 284,103, coming in below the week ending October 7 at 285,490 and the week ending September 30 at 286,893, which is a new intermodal record.

Through the first 41 weeks of 2017, U.S. carloads are up 3.7% annually at 10,640,157 and intermodal units are up 3.7% for the same period at 11,002,145.