United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the week ending March 19, were mixed, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
Rail carloads—at 232,770—saw a 1.1% annual gain, topping the week ending March 12, at 232,338, and trailing the week ending March 5, at 238,870.
AAR said that five of the 10 carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: coal, up 4,182 carloads, to 63,929; chemicals, up 2,656 carloads, to 34,178; and nonmetallic minerals, up 1,984 carloads, to 31,151. Commodity groups posting annual declines included: grain, down 4,014 carloads, to 23,317; petroleum and petroleum products, down 2,457 carloads, to 9,181; and motor vehicles and parts, down 958 carloads, to 13,953.
Intermodal containers and trailers—at 266,592—decreased 5.7% annually, topping the week ending March 12, at 263,746, and the week ending March 5, at 266,307.
Through the first 11 weeks of 2022, AAR reported that U.S. railroads—at 2,521,622 carloads—are up 3% annually. And intermodal units—at 2,828,405 intermodal units—were down 7.1%, for the same period.
AAR reported that North American rail volume for the week ending March 19, 2022, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 328,840 carloads, down 0.7% compared with the same week last year, and 348,166 intermodal units, down 6% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 677,006 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.5%. North American rail volume for the first 11 weeks of 2022 was 7,249,341 carloads and intermodal units, down 4% compared with 2021.