United States rail carload and intermodal volumes were mixed, for the week ending September 26, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
Rail carloads—at 224,146—were down 10.5% annually, trailing the week ending September 19, at 226,687, and topping the week ending September 12, at 214,142.
AAR said that three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an annual increase, including: grain, up 7,061 carloads, to 24,995; farm products excluding grain, and food, up 464 carloads, to 15,666; and motor vehicles and parts, up 421 carloads, to 16,340. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2019 included coal, down 21,008 carloads, to 58,220; nonmetallic minerals, down 5,357 carloads, to 29,977; and chemicals, down 2,937 carloads, to 30,078.
Intermodal containers and trailers—at 294,144—saw a 5.5% annual gain. This trailed the weeks ending September 19 and September 12, at 295,269 and 260,643, respectively.
Through the first 39 weeks of 2020, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,335,530 carloads, down 15.5% annually, and intermodal units—9,747,872—were down 6.2%.