AAR reports U.S. rail carload and intermodal volume gains for week ending October 27

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported this week that United States rail carload and intermodal volumes were up annually for the week ending October 27.

Rail carloads, at 268,535, were up 2.6% annually and came in ahead of the week ending October 20 at 265,776 and the week ending October 13 at 263,787.

AAR said that eight of the ten carload commodity groups it tracks posted annual gains, including: coal, up 4,373 carloads, to 87,975; petroleum and petroleum products, up 3,548 carloads, to 13,188; and chemicals, up 1,681 carloads, to 31,689. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2017 were nonmetallic minerals, down 4,097 carloads, to 35,193; and motor vehicles and parts, down 816 carloads, to 16,852.

Intermodal containers and trailers, at 294,269, increased 6.1% annually, topping the weeks ending October 20 and October 13, which came in at 289,330 and 285,970, respectively.

Through the first 43 weeks of 2018, U.S. carloads are up 1.9% annually to 11,316,291 and intermodal units, at 11,986,177, are up 5.7% for the same period.