AAR reports gains for carload and intermodal volumes for week ending May 27

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported this week that that United States rail carload and intermodal volumes each saw annual gains for the week ending May 27.

Rail carloads increased 8% at 266,564, which topped the week ending May 20 at 260,115, and the weeks ending the week ending May 13 at 255,361 and the week ending May 6 at 252,182.

AAR said that four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2016. They included grain, up 26.9% to 24,740 carloads; coal, up 25.3% to 82,481 carloads; and nonmetallic minerals, up 11.4% to 39,421 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 19.7% to 9,857 carloads; miscellaneous carloads, down 6.7% to 10,365 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, down 6.2% to 17,720 carloads.

Intermodal container and trailer volume increased 5.4% to 281,359, which topped the week ending May 20 at 274,807, and the weeks ending May 13 and May 6 at 271,609 and 264,123, respectively.

On a year-to-date basis through the first 21 weeks of 2017, U.S. carloads were up 6.5% at 5,380,624, and intermodal containers and trailers saw a 2.1% annual gain at 5,531,759.