Rail carload and intermodal units are down again, reports AAR

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes each experienced annual declines, for the week ending September 7, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

These declines were likely impacted by the timing of the 2019 Labor Day holiday.

Rail carloads, at 238,988, slipped 5.6% compared to the same week a year ago, down sharply from the weeks ending August 31 and August 24 at 268,597 and 261,031, respectively.

AAR said that three of the ten carload commodity groups saw an annual gain, including: chemicals, up 1,425 carloads, to 30,888; miscellaneous carloads, up 42 carloads, to 8,674; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 1 carload, to 11,653. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2018 included coal, down 5,965 carloads, to 79,446; grain, down 2,589 carloads, to 17,431; and nonmetallic minerals, down 2,524 carloads, to 32,734.

Intermodal containers and trailers, at 230,297, were off 7.5% annually and were below the weeks ending August 31 and August 24 at 273,348 and 271,452, respectively.

Through the first 36 weeks of 2019, AAR said that U.S. rail carloads, at 9,110,692, were down 3.4% annually, while intermodal, at 9,558,740, was off 4%.