Carload and intermodal volumes were up for the week ending March 22, according to data released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) this week.
Carloads—at 291,525—were up 4.5 percent annually and ahead of the weeks ending March 15 and March 8, which hit 289,375 and 274,480, respectively.
Intermodal was up 10.6 percent at 260,713 containers and trailers and topped the weeks ending March 15 and March 8, which came in at 255,991 and 244,015 respectively.
Of the ten main commodity groups tracked by the AAR, nine saw annual increases for the week ending March 22. Grain was up 16 percent, and motor vehicles and chemicals were off by 0.2 percent.
For the first 12 weeks of 2014, carloads are up 0.4 percent annually at 3,301,422, and intermodal is up 3 percent at 2,937,811 trailers and containers.