United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the week ending April 9, were mixed, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
Rail carloads—at 236,459—saw a 1.4% annual increase, topping the weeks ending April 2 and March 26, at 231,963 and 233,55, respectively.
AAR reported that six of the 10 carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: coal, up 3,519 carloads, to 65,725; motor vehicles and parts, up 1,320 carloads, to 13,352; and chemicals, up 1,185 carloads, to 35,152. Commodity groups that posted annual declines included petroleum and petroleum products, down 2,107 carloads, to 9,319; metallic ores and metals, down 1,753 carloads, to 20,711; and miscellaneous carloads, down 551 carloads, to 9,808.
Intermodal containers and trailers—at 271,884—were off 3.1% and eclipsed the weeks ending April 2 and March 26, at 270,231 and 271,262, respectively.
Through the first 14 weeks of 2022, U.S. rail carloads—at 3,223,599—are up 2.5% compared to the same period a year ago. And intermodal units—at 3,641,782—are down 6.6%.
AAR reported that North American rail volume, for the week ending April 9, 2022, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 337,598 carloads, up 0.9 percent compared with the same week last year, and 363,293 intermodal units, down 2.6 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 700,891 carloads and intermodal units, down 1 percent. North American rail volume for the first 14 weeks of 2022 was 9,314,334 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.7 percent compared with 2021.