U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed in November, reports AAR

United states rail carload and intermodal volumes were mixed in November, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads—at 900,194—were off 5.8%, or 55,198 carloads, annually. And AAR said that nine of the 20 carload commodity categories it tracks saw annual gains, including: grain, up 20,026 carloads or 23.1 percent; chemicals, up 4,153 carloads or 3.4 percent; and grain mill products, up 1,821 carloads or 5.3 percent. Commodities with annual declines included: coal, down 49,251 carloads or 16.9 percent; petroleum & petroleum products, down 10,227 carloads or 19.9 percent; and crushed stone, sand & gravel, down 7,819 carloads or 10.3 percent.

When excluding coal loadings, AAR said that carloads were off 5,947 carloads, or 0.9% annually, and when excluding coal and grain, carloads were off 25,973 carloads, or 4.5%.

Intermodal containers and trailers—at 1,136,695—headed up 11.5%, or 67,717 units, annually.

“U.S. rail traffic continued to make up lost ground in November,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray in a statement. “Excluding coal, total U.S. rail carloads are now very close to where they were before the pandemic hit with grain volumes approaching record highs due to soybean exports. Meanwhile, U.S. intermodal volumes have seen near record highs the past couple months due to both import volumes and internet purchasing by consumers. Railroads join everyone else in hoping that the recent surge in COVID-19 infection rates across the country recedes quickly and that our nation can return to a path of improved personal and economic health.”

Through the first 11 months of 2020, AAR said that U.S. rail carloads—at 10,380,769—are off 13.8% annually, and intermodal units—at 12,340,929—are off 3.1%, or 400,753 units, for the same period.

For the week ending November 28, U.S. rail carloads were down 4.1%, to 206,288, and intermodal units increased 11.2%, to 246,504.