U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed, for week ending March 26, reports AAR

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the week ending March 26, were again mixed, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads—at 233,555—eked out a 0.5% annual gain, topping the weeks ending March 19 and March 12, at 232,770 and 232,338, respectively.

AAR said that five of the 10 carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: coal, up 5,140 carloads, to 66,504; chemicals, up 2,206 carloads, to 34,264; and motor vehicles and parts, up 826 carloads, to 14,341. Commodity groups posting annual declines included: petroleum and petroleum products, down 2,056 carloads, to 8,638; grain, down 1,999 carloads, to 22,516; and metallic ores and metals, down 1,449 carloads, to 20,492.

Intermodal containers and trailers—at 271,262—fell 6.2% annually, topping the weeks ending March 19 and March 12, at 266,592 and 263,746, respectively.

Through the first 12 weeks of 2022, AAR reported that U.S. railroads—at 2,755,177 carloads—are up 2.8% annually. And intermodal units—at 3,099,667 intermodal units—were down 7%, for the same period.

AAR reported that North American rail volume for the week ending March 26 on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 330,751 carloads, down 1.7 percent compared with the same week last year, and 352,549 intermodal units, down 6.9 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 683,300 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.5 percent. North American rail volume for the first 12 weeks of 2022 was 7,932,641 carloads and intermodal units, down 4 percent compared with 2021.