Rail traffic was mixed for the week ending June 25, according to data released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
Carload volume—at 284,562—was down 0.2 percent annually and behind the weeks ending June 17 and June 10 which hit 294,310 and 290,181, respectively. It was ahead of the week ending June 3 at 273,584, and behind the week ending April 2, which hit 305,905 carloads, marking the highest weekly carload tally since the end of 2008.
Carload volume was down 3.2 percent in the East and up 1.9 percent out West. Carloads on a year-to-date basis are at 7,253,284 for a 2.8 percent annual increase.
Coming on the heels of the two highest weeks of the year, with the weeks ending June 17 and June 10 reaching 237,682 and 237,422, respectively, intermodal checked in at 234,775 for a 3.3 percent annual gain.
Intermodal volumes on a year-to-date basis at 5,619,145 are up 8 percent compared to 2010.
Intermodal continues to make strides on the domestic side due to fuel price pressure and its ability to provide service comparable to truckload at a more favorable rate, say shippers and analysts.
Of the 20 commodity groups tracked by the AAR, 12 were up annually. Grain was up 14.4 percent and coke was up 10.6 percent. Farm products, excluding grain, were down 19.5 percent.
Estimated ton-miles for the week were 31.4 billion for a 0.6 percent annual increase, and on a year-to-date basis, the 810.6 billion ton-miles recorded were up 3.9 percent.