AAR reports mixed volumes for week ending September 5

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported that rail carload and intermodal volumes for the week ending September 5 were mixed.

Carloads were off 0.4 percent annually at 287,339, down from 290,792 from the week of August 29 and also below the week ending August 22 at 288,971.

The AAR said that seven of the ten carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains for the week ending September 5, with motor vehicles and parts up 19.5 percent to 18,354 carloads and miscellaneous carloads up 18.3 percent to 9,213. Metallic ores and metals dropped 17.3 percent to 21,145 carloads, and petroleum and petroleum products fell 9.1 percent to 14,240 carloads.

Intermodal containers and trailers were up 17 percent compared to the same week last year at 279,867, which was below the week ending August 29 at 284,531 and the week ending August 22 at 278,972.

Through the first 35 weeks of 2015, AAR said that U.S. carloads are down 4.1 percent at 9,750,275, and intermodal units are up 3 percent at 9,331,154.