For the first 38 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 9,460,059 carloads, down 10.7% from the same point last year.

Railway Age reports:

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today for the week ending September 24, 2016, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 539,609 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.8% compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending September 24 were 268,524 carloads, down 6.1% compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 271,085 containers and trailers, down 3.5% compared to 2015.

Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. They included grain, up 13.4% to 25,129 carloads; miscellaneous carloads, up 3.6% to 10,488 carloads; and chemicals, up 2.3% to 30,194 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 20.2% to 10,379 carloads; coal, down 13.9% to 87,486 carloads; and forest products, down 13.2% to 9,928 carloads.

For the first 38 weeks of 2016, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 9,460,059 carloads, down 10.7% from the same point last year; and 9,811,598 intermodal units, down 3.2% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 38 weeks of 2016 was 19,271,657 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 7% compared to last year.

A down year?