AAR reports annual carload and intermodal declines for week ending June 15

The Association of American Railroads (AAR)reported this week that United States rail carload and intermodal volumes each saw annual declines for the week ending June 15.

Rail carloads, at 257,385, were down 4.6% annually and ahead of the weeks ending June 8 and June 1 at 246,758 and 237,512, respectively.

AAR said that two of the ten carload commodity it tracks posted annual gains for the week ending June 15, including: petroleum and petroleum products, up 1,528 carloads, to 12,747; and chemicals, up 701 carloads, to 32,431. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2018 included coal, down 7,625 carloads, to 77,903; nonmetallic minerals, down 2,226 carloads, to 37,766; and forest products, down 1,284 carloads, to 9,547.

Intermodal containers and trailers, at 270,604, fell 6.2% annually, topping the weeks ending June 8 and June 1 at 266,341 and 241,167, respectively.

On a year-to-date basis for the first 24 weeks of 2019, U.S. rail carloads are down 2.8% annually to 6,032,967, and intermodal units, at 6,385,282, are off 2.8%.