The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported this week that carload and intermodal volumes for the week ending March 21 were mixed.
U.S. carloads were down 2.4 percent annually at 284,618, which was ahead of the 278,856 recorded during the week ending March 14 and the weeks ending March 7 and February 28 at 268,820 and 267,060, respectively.
Three of the ten carload commodities tracked by the AAR were up annually for the week ending March 21. Grain was up 21.9 percent to 24,087 carloads, and motor vehicles and parts were up 6.7 percent to 18,765 carloads.
Intermodal volume was up 6.7 percent compared to the same week as last year at 277,854 trailers and containers. This was ahead of the week ending March 14 at 274,125 and the weeks ending March 7 and February 28 at 253,762 and 241, 958, respectively.
On a year-to-date basis, carloads are up 0.9 percent at 3,082,147, and intermodal is down 0.4 percent at 2,740,254 intermodal units.