U.S. rail and intermodal volumes are down for week ending September 14, reports AAR

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes were down for the week ending September 14, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads, at 252,310, fell 6.1% annually, topping the week ending September 7 at 238,988, and trailing the week ending August 31 at 268,597.  

AAR said that only one of the ten carload commodity groups it tracks, motor vehicles and parts saw an annual gain, rising 299 carloads to 17,339. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2018 included coal, down 4,950 carloads, to 80,753; grain, down 2,915 carloads, to 18,337; and metallic ores and metals, down 2,360 carloads, to 22,766.

Intermodal containers and trailers, at 274,424, were off 3.5% compared to the same week a year ago. This was ahead of the weeks ending September 7 and August 31, at 230,297 and 273,348, respectively.

Through the first 38 weeks of 2019, U.S. rail carloads are down 3.5% to 9,363,002, and intermodal units, at 9,833,164, are off 4%.