Intermodal Traffic Drops for Week
U.S. intermodal rail traffic dropped 3.6% in the week ended Saturday compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads said.
Total intermodal volume declined to 196,788 units, from 204,103 last year, AAR said in its weekly report.
Containers fell 2.3% to 165,632 units, while trailer volume dropped 9.8% to 31,156 units.
Freight rail traffic, which excludes intermodal traffic, fell 12.4% to 236,796 carloads, AAR 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.
