U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are down, for week ending November 19, reports AAR

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the week ending November 19, saw annual declines, according to data recently issued by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads—at 235,887—fell 0.6% annually, while edging out the week ending November 12, at 235,474, and trailing the week ending November 5, at 243,276.

AAR reported that four of the 10 carload commodity groups saw annual gains, including grain, up 2,039 carloads, to 26,624; coal, up 1,766 carloads, to 66,485; and nonmetallic minerals, up 463 carloads, to 31,558. Commodity groups with annual declines included: chemicals, down 3,081 carloads, to 31,074; motor vehicles and parts, down 1,030 carloads, to 13,631; and forest products, down 864 carloads, to 9,033.

Intermodal containers and trailers—at 255,907—fell 5.6% compared to the same week a year ago, topping the week ending November 12, at 254,876, and trailing the week ending November 5, at 258,830.

Through the first 46 weeks of 2022, AAR reported that U.S. rail carloads inched up 0.2% annually, to 10,686,013. Intermodal units—at 12,091,589—dropped 4.8% annually.

North American rail volume for the week ending November 19, 2022, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 341,621 carloads, up 3.2% compared with the same week last year, and 338,616 intermodal units, down 0.2% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 680,237 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.5%. North American rail volume for the first 46 weeks of 2022 was 31,230,674 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.9% compared with 2021.