U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed, for the week ending February 13, reports AAR

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes were again mixed, the week ending February 13, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads—at 211,420—were off 7% annually, trailing the weeks ending February 6 and January 30, at 226,393 and 231,370, respectively.

AAR said that four of the ten carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: grain, up 4,548 carloads, to 22,823; chemicals, up 785 carloads, to 33,255; and forest products, up 727 carloads, to 10,297. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2020 included coal, down 8,554 carloads, to 54,496; nonmetallic minerals, down 5,450 carloads, to 22,933; and motor vehicles and parts, down 3,631 carloads, to 13,972.

Intermodal containers and trailers—at 269,063—saw a 6.9% annual increase, which trailed the weeks ending February 6 and January 30, at 269,422 and 289,323, respectively.

On a year-to-date basis through the first six weeks of 2021, AAR said that U.S. rail carloads are up down 2.9%, at 1,368,116, and intermodal units, at 1,711,705, are up 10.3%.