AAR reports U.S. carload and intermodal declines for week ending December 14

United States rail carload and intermodal traffic for the week ending December 14 saw annual declines, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads, at 243,290, slipped 9% annually, trailing the week ending December 7, at 248,174, and topping the week ending November 30, at 215,126, which was likely impacted by the timing of the Thanksgiving holiday.

AAR reported that three of the ten carload commodity groups it tracks posted annual gains, including: motor vehicles and parts, up 760 carloads, to 18,061; miscellaneous carloads, up 208 carloads, to 10,435; and petroleum and petroleum products, up 93 carloads, to 13,643. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2018 included coal, down 18,747 carloads, to 72,320; grain, down 1,884 carloads, to 20,709; and metallic ores and metals, down 1,287 carloads, to 22,633.

Intermodal containers and trailers, at 277,299, decreased 8%, topping the week ending December 7, at 268,956, and the week ending November 30, at 221,774.

Through the first 50 weeks of 2019, AAR reported that U.S. carloads, at 12,535,766, fell 4.7% annually, with intermodal units, at 13,287,891, off 5% for the same period.