Intermodal Rail Volume Rises 4.3% in August
Intermodal rail volume for August rose 4.3% compared with the same time last year, the Association of American Railroads reported.
Intermodal volume rose to 1.07 million units in August. The weekly average was the second-highest for any August on record at 268,922 units.
“The rail industry has played, and is continuing to play, a critical role in the U.S. economy’s resurgence. In fact, average weekly U.S. rail volume, in terms of carloads plus intermodal containers and trailers, was higher in August 2014 than in any month since October 2007,” AAR Senior Vice President John Gray said in a statement.
“The broad range of commodities that are seeing higher rail volumes is a welcome sign for the economy,” Gray said.
Fifteen of the 20 categories tracked by AAR posted increases in August from the prior year, led by petroleum and petroleum products (25.2%).
Intermodal volume for the week ended Aug. 30 increased 5.3% to 273,458 year-over-year, the rail trade group said.
For the first 35 weeks of the year, U.S. railroads moved 9 million intermodal containers and trailers, up 5.7% from 2013.
