U.S. rail and intermodal volumes are mixed, for the week ending July 23, reports AAR

United States rail carload and intermodal volumes, for the week ending July 23, were mixed, according to data issued this week by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Rail carloads—at 232,565—saw a 1.1% annual increase, topping the weeks ending July 16 and July 9, at 229,809 and 207,450, respectively.

AAR reported that three of the 10 carload commodity groups it tracks saw annual gains, including: motor vehicles and parts, up 1,790 carloads, to 12,559; coal, up 1,772 carloads, to 67,719; and farm products excl. grain, and food, up 950 carloads, to 15,627. Commodity groups posting annual declines included: metallic ores and metals, down 1,516 carloads, to 21,601; petroleum and petroleum products, down 490 carloads, to 10,038; and miscellaneous carloads, down 228 carloads, to 9,468.

Intermodal containers and trailers—at 266,366 units—were off 2.5% annually, trailing the week ending July 16, at 269,090, and topping the week ending July 9, at 230,150.

Through the first 29 weeks of 2022, AAR reported that U.S. rail carloads are essentially flat annually, down 0.2%, to 6.663,741, with intermodal units—at 7,644,302—off 5.9%.

North American rail volume for the week ending July 23, 2022, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 328,063 carloads, down 0.4 percent compared with the same week last year, and 352,928 intermodal units, down 2.4 percent compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 680,991 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.4 percent. North American rail volume for the first 29 weeks of 2022 was 19,533,345 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.3 percent compared with 2021.