U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are down for week ending November 7, reports AAR

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported that both U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes were down for the week ending November 7.

Carloads were down 8.7 percent annually at 272,063 and below the weeks ending October 31 and October 24, which came in at 279,327 and 284,523, respectively.

The AAR said that four of the ten carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains for the week ending October 17, with miscellaneous carloads up 24.1 percent to 9,862 carloads and motor vehicles and parts up 6 percent to 17,877. Petroleum and petroleum products were down 19.7 percent to 12,999, and metallic ores and minerals dropped 18 percent to 20,574.

Intermodal containers and trailers were down 1.5 percent annually at 267,102, which was below the week ending October 31 at 270,380 and the week ending October 24 at 268,621,

Through the first 44 weeks of 2015, AAR said that U.S. carloads are down 4.7 percent annually at 12,277,219 and intermodal units are up 2.4 percent at 11,773,679.