AAR reports mixed volumes for week ending February 11

Rail volumes were mixed for the week ending February 11, according to data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Carload volume—279,501—was up 1.7 percent annually—and was behind the week ending February 4 at 284,546 and the week ending January 28 at 283,654.

Eastern carloads were down 4.1 percent, and out west carloads were up 5.7 percent.

Intermodal volumes—at 227,207 trailers and containers—were down 0.4 percent annually. This was down compared to the week ending February 4 at 232,950 and the week ending January 28 at 235,028.

Of the 20 commodity groups tracked by the AAR, 12 were up annually. Petroleum products were up 29.9 percent, and crushed stone, sand, and gravel were up 27.2 percent. Nonmetallic minerals were down 26.3 percent.

The AAR said that carloads for the first six weeks of 2012—at 1,708,847—were up 1.3 percent over the first six weeks of 2011, and intermodal was up 3.7 percent at 1,337,434 trailers and containers.

Estimated ton-miles for the week at 31.9 billion were up 2.6 percent, and for the year-to-date it was up 2.3 percent at 194.2 billion.