AAR Report: U.S. Railcars and Intermodal Units Down Year-Over-Year as of October 5

<p<LM Staff October 11, 2024

Data released by the American Association of Railroads (AAR) earlier this week indicates that both railcar and intermodal unit volumes in the U.S. have declined year-over-year for the week ending October 5.

Railcar volume stood at 225,280 units, marking a decrease of 3.5% compared to the same period last year, trailing behind the weeks ending September 28 and September 21, which recorded 227,046 and 232,818 units respectively.

The AAR report noted that four out of ten freight categories it tracks saw year-over-year growth, including: non-grain agricultural products and food, up by 1,553 to 18,019; chemicals, up by 1,140 to 31,059; and metals and metal ores, up by 828 to 20,908. Freight categories that experienced year-over-year declines include: coal, down by 5,458 to 61,304; non-metallic minerals, down by 3,937 to 29,645; and grains, down by 1,300 to 21,933.

Intermodal containers and trailers totaled 260,907 units, a decrease of 1.7% year-over-year, trailing behind the weeks ending September 28 and September 21, which recorded 280,491 and 289,294 units respectively.

The AAR report stated that in the first 40 weeks of 2024, U.S. railcar volume was at 8,697,320 units, down by 3.3% year-over-year. Intermodal unit volumes stood at 10,472,512 units, an increase of 9.1% year-over-year.

Source: Logistics Management