Rail and intermodal volumes are mixed for week ending August 15, reports AAR

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported that rail carload and intermodal volumes for the week ending August 15 were mixed.

Carloads were down 5.2 percent annually at 288,059, which was slightly below the week ending August 8 at 288,460 and the week ending August 1 at 289,657.

The AAR said that four of the ten carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains for the week ending August 8, with miscellaneous carloads, up 16.8 percent to 9,949 and grain up 9.6 percent to 19,708 carloads. Petroleum and petroleum products were down 10.3 percent to 14,034 carloads, and metallic ores and metals, down 15.4 percent to 23,787 carloads.

Intermodal containers and trailers saw a 2.3 percent annual gain at 276,443, which topped the weeks ending August 8 and August 1 at 274,424 and 269,468.

Through the first 32 weeks of 2014, AAR said that U.S. carloads are down 4.3 percent at 8,883,173, and intermodal is up 2.5 percent at 8,847,784.