AAR: U.S. carloads ratcheted down heading into Thanksgiving week

For the week ending Nov. 22, U.S. railroads reported 295,812 carloads, down 0.3 percent, and 269,373 intermodal units, up 0.7 percent compared with volumes from the same week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads.

Total combined U.S. traffic ratcheted up 0.2 percent to 565,185 units and only five of 10 carload commodity groups posted gains, including petroleum and petroleum products at 11.5 percent. Carloads of farm products, excluding grain and food, tumbled 6.4 percent.

Through 2014’s 47 weeks, U.S. railroads handled 13,720,901 carloads, up 3.4 percent, and 12,273,260 intermodal loads, up 5.2 percent year over year.

For the week ending Nov. 22, Canadian railroads reported 84,389 carloads, up 2.9 percent, and 57,150 intermodal units, up 4.9 percent. Mexican railroads’ weekly carload volume climbed 12.9 percent to 16,759 units and their intermodal volume rose 5.1 percent to 9,839 units.

Through 47 weeks, 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads registered 18,258,997 carloads, up 3 percent, and 15,469,690 containers and trailers, up 5.4 percent compared with the same 2013 period.