The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported that United States rail carload and intermodal volumes were mixed for the week ending May 4.
Rail carloads, at 268,559, were up 1% annually, topping the weeks ending April 27 and April 20 at 267,316 and 262,011, respectively.
AAR said that four of the ten carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: coal, up 6,712 carloads, to 84,481; petroleum and petroleum products, up 3,367 carloads, to 13,231; and miscellaneous carloads, up 1,295 carloads, to 9,543. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2018 included nonmetallic minerals, down 4,072 carloads, to 37,103; grain, down 2,811 carloads, to 22,287; and motor vehicles and parts, down 2,060 carloads, to 16,491.
Intermodal containers and trailers, at 266,530, slipped 4.9% annually, coming in ahead of the weeks ending April 27 and April 20 at 265,874 and 264,130, respectively.
Through the first 18 weeks of 2019, AAR reported that U.S. carloads, at 4,505,712, were off 2.3% annually, and intermodal units, at4,799,133, are off 1.6% for the same period.