U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are down, for week ending December 17, reports AAR

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the week ending December 17, saw annual declines, according data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads—at 226,977—were down 3.2%, trailing the weeks ending December 10 and December 3, at 242,007 and 241,307, respectively. AAR said that three of the 10 carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: motor vehicles and parts, up 2,783 carloads, to 15,251; farm products excl. grain, and food, up 603 carloads, to 16,719; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 181 carloads, to 10,582. Commodity groups posting annual declines included: coal, down 3,317 carloads, to 61,577; chemicals, down 2,766 carloads, to 31,342; and miscellaneous carloads, down 1,948 carloads, to 8,512.

Intermodal containers and trailers—at 249,255—fell 7.5% annually.

Through the first 50 weeks of 2022, AAR reported that U.S. rail carloads are flat compared to the same period a year ago, at 11,603,06. Intermodal containers and trailers—at 13,059,825—are off 4.9%, for the same period.

North American rail volume for the week ending December 17, 2022, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 330,786 carloads, up 0.2 percent compared with the same week last year, and 329,112 intermodal units, down 5.7 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 659,898 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.9 percent. North American rail volume for the first 50 weeks of 2022 was 33,849,073 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.8 percent compared with 2021.