U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed, for the week ending September 5, reports AAR

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the week ending September 5, were mixed.

Rail carloads—at 222,298—slipped 6.9% compared to the same week a year ago. This tally trailed the weeks ending August 29 and August 22, at 225,703 and 229,929, respectively.

AAR reported that five of the ten carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, for the week ending September 5, with grain, up 5,630 carloads, to 23,003; motor vehicles and parts, up 1,729 carloads, to 16,296; and miscellaneous carloads, up 1,306 carloads, to 10,038. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2019 included coal, down 18,495 carloads, to 60,842; nonmetallic minerals, down 3,159 carloads, to 29,585; and metallic ores and metals, down 2,396 carloads, to 17,634.

Intermodal containers and trailers—at 287,339 units—jumped 24.8% annually and were ahead of the week ending August 29, at 282,604, and the week ending August 22, at 285,056.  

On a year-to-date basis, through the first 36 weeks of 2020, AAR reported that U.S. rail carloads—at 7,670,555—are off 15.8% compared to the same point a year ago. And intermodal units—at 8,897,816—are down 6.9%, for the same period.