Rail carload and intermodal volumes are down for week ending September 12, reports AAR

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported that rail carload and intermodal volumes for the week ending September 12 were both down on an annual basis. Volumes were impacted by the Labor Day holiday.

Carloads were down 10.5 percent annually at 268,960, which was below the week ending September 5 at 287,339, and the 290,792 recorded the week ending August 29.

The AAR said that one of the ten carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains for the week ending September 5, with grain up 3.6 percent to 17,897 carloads. Metallic ores and metals dropped 27.5 percent to 20,583 carloads, and petroleum and petroleum products fell 15.8 percent to 14,231 carloads.

Intermodal containers and trailers were down 13.3 percent compared to the same week last year at 241,837, which was below the 279,867 from the week ending September 5 and the week ending August 29 at 284,531 and the week ending August 22 at 278,972.

Through the first 36 weeks of 2015, AAR said that U.S. carloads are down 4.3 percent at 10,019,235, and intermodal units are up 2.5 percent at 9,572,991.