Carload and intermodal volumes are mixed for week ending July 18, reports AAR

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported that United States rail carload and intermodal volumes were again mixed for the week ending July 18.

Carloads dropped 7.3 percent annually to 277,331, which was ahead of the week ending July 11 at 271,494 and the week ending July 4 at 251,269.

Of the ten commodity categories tracked by the AAR, four saw annual gains compared to the same week last year, with miscellaneous carloads up 8.1 percent to 9,337 carloads and farm products up 1.4 percent to 16,052 carloads. Petroleum and petroleum products were down 20.2 percent to 13,335 carloads, and coal dropped 11.6 percent to 99,975 carloads.

Intermodal containers and trailers remained on a growth path, up 2.3 percent to 273,850, outpacing the week ending July 11 at 262,603 and the week ending July 4 at 255,015.

Through the first 28 weeks of 2015, U.S. carloads are down 4.1 percent annually at 7,730,662 and intermodal units are up 2.6 percent at 7,396,497.