Rail volumes are mixed for week ending December 10 reports AAR

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes were mixed for the week ending December 17, according to data published by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Carloads dropped 2.8 percent annually to 254,700, which was below the week ending December 10 at 259,058, and the week ending December 3 at 274,329.

Three of the ten carload commodity groups tracked by the AAR saw annual gains, including grain, up 5.3 percent to 24,193 carloads; coal, up 2.5 percent to 87,219 carloads; and metallic ores and metals, up 1.5 percent to 20,955 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 15.6 percent to 11,089 carloads; nonmetallic minerals, down 12.5 percent to 27,842 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, down 10.8 percent to 17,640 carloads.

Weekly intermodal containers and trailers were up 2.2 percent annually at 269,249 containers and trailers, which trailed the week ending December 10 at 279,874 and the week ending December 3 at 278,801.

Through the first 50 weeks of 2016, the AAR said that U.S. rail carloads were down 8.8 percent at 12,636,976, and intermodal containers and trailers were off 2.3 percent annually at 13,027,744.