U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed for week ending November 5, reports AAR

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

Carloads fell 0.4 percent to 271,262, which was slightly below the week ending October 29 at 271,576 and ahead of the week ending October 22 at 268,551.  

The AAR said that four of the ten carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015, including: grain, up 22 percent to 28,655 carloads; nonmetallic minerals, up 3.8 percent to 36,572 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, up 2.9 percent to 18,403 carloads. 

Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 16.3 percent to 10,877 carloads; miscellaneous carloads, down 10.8 percent to 8,812 carloads; and metallic ores and metals, down 9.7 percent to 18,575 carloads.

Weekly intermodal containers and trailers were up 1.7 percent at 272,115, which was below the week ending October 29 at 273,421 and the week ending October 22 at 275,541.  

Through the first 44 weeks of 2016, the AAR said that U.S. rail carloads were down 19.8 percent at 11,075,472, and intermodal containers and trailers were off 2.9 percent annually at 11,431,547.