U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes see annual gains for week ending November 25, reports AAR

Both United States rail carload and intermodal volumes saw annual gains for the week ending November 25, according to data issued by the Association for American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads headed up 0.2% to 230,326, which was below the week ending November 18 at 266,927 and the week ending November 11 at 263,265.

AAR said that four of the ten carload commodities tracked by the AAR were up annually, including: nonmetallic minerals, up 4,507 carloads, to 29,579; metallic ores and metals, up 1,616 carloads, to 19,802; and motor vehicles and parts, up 1,537 carloads, to 14,309. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 included grain, down 3,820 carloads, to 18,771; coal, down 2,192 carloads, to 81,340; and farm products excl. grain, and food, down 1,044 carloads, to 14,531.

Intermodal containers and trailers increased 4.7% to 233,276, which trailed the weeks ending November 18 and November 11 at 287,139 and 284,215, respectively.  

On a year-to-date basis through the first 47 weeks of 2017, AAR said that carloads are up 3% annually at 12,199,607, and intermodal units are up 3.7% at 12,653,426.