AAR reports U.S. carload and intermodal gains for week ending May 20

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported this week that United States rail carload and intermodal volumes each saw annual gains for the week ending May 20.

Rail carloads rose 6.4%to 260,115, topping the week ending May 13 at 255,361 and the weeks ending May 6 and April 29 at 252,182 and 258,476, respectively. 

AAR said that five of the ten carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: grain, up 24.5 percent to 23,997 carloads; coal, up 18.6 percent to 78,990 carloads; and nonmetallic minerals, up 6.4 percent to 39,693 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 16.8 percent to 9,670 carloads; motor vehicles and parts, down 6.8 percent to 17,782 carloads; and forest products, down 1.9 percent to 10,155 carloads.

Intermodal container and trailer volume increased 4.6% annually to 274,807, which was ahead of the week ending May 13 at 271,609, and the weeks ending May 6 and April 29 at 264,123 and 269,354, respectively.

On a year-to-date basis through the first 20 weeks of 2017, U.S. carloads were up 6.5% at 5,114,060, and intermodal containers and trailers saw a 1.9% annual gain at 5,250,220.