Dan De Los Monteros for TTU.S. intermodal traffic rose 5.5% for the week ended Saturday from a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said.
Trailer traffic dropped 6.2% to 29,983 units, but containers climbed 7.4% to 212,382 units, the rail trade group said in its weekly report.
Railroad carloads excluding intermodal declined 4.1% to 283,080 units, the group said.
Railroad volume is considered an important economic indicator. Intermodal traffic, which tends to be higher-valued merchandise than bulk commodities, uses trains for the long haul and trucks for the shorter distance at either end of the trip.
