AAR reports mixed carload and intermodal volumes for week of February 16

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported this week that carload and intermodal volumes were once again mixed for the week ending February 16. 

Carload volume—at 278,596—was down 1.2 percent annually and ahead of the week ending February 9 at 273,369 and the week ending February 2 at 274,000. 

Intermodal volume—at 251,078 containers and trailers—was up 13.6 percent annually and ahead of the week ending February 9 at 244,679 and the week ending February 2 at 249,231.

Total weekly traffic for carloads and intermodal units—at 529,674—was up 5.3 percent annually.

Last week, the AAR has changed how it reports weekly commodity loadings. Its former process was comprised of 20 distinct commodity groups, which have now been grouped together.

The new commodity categories are: chemicals; coal; farm and food products, excluding grain (which includes farm products, excluding grain, grain mill products and food & kindred products); forest products; grain; metallic ores and metals (which also includes metallic ores, coke, metals & products, iron & steel scrap); motor vehicles and parts (which also includes motor vehicles and equipment); nonmetallic minerals and products (which also includes crushed stone, sand, and gravel; nonmetallic minerals; stone, clay & glass products); petroleum and petroleum products); and other (which includes waste and nonferrous scrap and all other carloads).

For the week ending February 16, three of the ten commodity groups showed gains, including petroleum products up 56.1 percent and nonmetallic minerals and products up12.1 percent. Grain was down 14.3 percent.

On a year-to-date basis, carloads are down 5 percent at 1,891,569 and intermodal is up 6.8 percent at 1,664,387 containers and trailers.