United States rail carload and intermodal volumes saw annual declines for the week ending July 27, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
Rail carloads-at 261,706-were down 3.5% annually, topping the weeks ending July 20 and July 13 at 254,434 and 260,762, respectively.
AAR said that three of the ten carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains for the week ending July 27, including: were nonmetallic minerals, up 2,381 carloads, to 38,326; miscellaneous carloads, up 880 carloads, to 10,399; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 500 carloads, to 12,642. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2018 included coal, down 6,517 carloads, to 81,255; grain, down 1,812 carloads, to 22,342; and forest products, down 1,576 carloads, to 9,490.
Intermodal containers and trailers-at 272,792-slipped 5.3% annually, topping the week ending July 13 at 271,576 and the week ending July 6 at 267,146.
Through the first 30 weeks of 2019, U.S. rail carloads-at 7,549,879-are down 3.2% annually and intermodal units-at 7,963,475-are off 3.6%.