U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed for the week ending January 16, reports AAR

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the week ending January 16, were mixed, according to data issued by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads—at 232,550—fell 2% annually, which is below the 235,404, for the week ending January 9 and ahead of the 202,278, for the week ending January 2,

AAR said that five of the 10 carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: grain, up 8,246 carloads, to 27,613; metallic ores and metals, up 1,715 carloads, to 23,325; and farm products excluding grain, and food, up 1,621 carloads, to 16,818. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2020 included coal, down 12,609 carloads, to 57,665; nonmetallic minerals, down 4,411 carloads, to 25,582; and miscellaneous carloads, down 402 carloads, to 9,755.

Intermodal container and trailers—at 295,997—rose 12.8% annually, topping the weeks ending January 9 and January 2, at 289,849 and 219,713, respectively.  

Through the first two weeks of 2021, AAR said that U.S. rail carloads—at 467,954—are off 1.8%, and intermodal units—at 585,846—are up 11.6%.