Carload and intermodal volumes continued heading in the right direction, with volumes up for the week ending November 16, according to data released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
Carloads—at 295,563—were up 2.4 percent annually and behind the week ending November 9 at 297,581 and ahead of the week ending November 2 at 292,298.
Intermodal—at 266,643 trailers and containers—was up 7.0 percent annually and ahead of the week ending November 9, which hit 265,259 and topped the week ending November 2 at 264,264. The AAR said weekly intermodal volumes have seen gains for 20 consecutive weeks.
Total weekly traffic for carloads and intermodal units—at 562,206—was up 4.5 percent annually.
Of the ten main commodity groups tracked by the AAR, seven saw annual increases. Grain was up 23.5 percent, and petroleum and petroleum products were up 21.6 percent. Coal was down 5.0 percent.
On a year-to-date basis, carloads are down 0.5 percent at 12,977,291 and intermodal is up 4.1 percent at 11,397,276 containers and trailers.