AAR reports solid carload and intermodal volumes for week ending January 21

Rail volumes were solid for the week ending January 21, according to data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Carload volume—at 287,734—was up 1.6 percent compared to last year but behind the week ending January 14 at 298,560. It was ahead of the weeks ending January 7, December 31, and December 24, which reached 274,862, 245,666, and 287,137, respectively.

Eastern carloads were down 1.5 percent, and out west carloads were up 3.6 percent.

Intermodal volumes—at 219,706 trailers and containers—were up 3 percent annually and down compared to last week’s tally of 229,091. This most recent week was ahead of the week ending January 7, which reached 193,812 trailers and containers and the week ending December 31 at 181,217.

Of the 20 commodity groups tracked by the AAR, 14 were up annually. Metallic ores were up 50.8 percent, and petroleum products were up 26.8 percent. Grain was down 10.5 percent, and farm products excluding grain were down 10.5 percent.

The AAR said that carloads for the first three weeks of 2012—at 861,146—were up 1.1 percent over the first three weeks of 2011, and intermodal was up 0.4 percent at 642,609 trailers and containers.

Estimated ton-miles for the week at 32.6 billion were up 1.9 percent, and for the year-to-date it was up 1.9 percent at 97.4 billion.