TheAssociation of American Railroads(AAR) reported this week that that United States rail carload and intermodal volumes each saw annual gains for the week ending May 27.
Rail carloads increased 8% at 266,564, which topped the week ending May 20 at 260,115, and the weeks ending the week ending May 13 at 255,361 and the week ending May 6 at 252,182.
AAR said that four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2016. They included grain, up 26.9% to 24,740 carloads; coal, up 25.3% to 82,481 carloads; and nonmetallic minerals, up 11.4% to 39,421 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2016 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 19.7% to 9,857 carloads; miscellaneous carloads, down 6.7% to 10,365 carloads; and motor vehicles and parts, down 6.2% to 17,720 carloads.
联运集装箱和拖车体积增加5.4% to 281,359, which topped the week ending May 20 at 274,807, and the weeks ending May 13 and May 6 at 271,609 and 264,123, respectively.
On a year-to-date basis through the first 21 weeks of 2017, U.S. carloads were up 6.5% at 5,380,624, and intermodal containers and trailers saw a 2.1% annual gain at 5,531,759.