Intermodal Traffic Falls 0.3% for Week

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Tom Biery/Trans Pixs

U.S. rail intermodal traffic fell 0.3% last week over the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said.

Container traffic for the week ended Saturday rose 1.1% to 206,327 units, but trailer traffic fell 8.4% to 33,771 units, AAR said.

Railroad carloads — excluding intermodal — fell 1.6% to 292,206 units for the week, AAR said in its weekly report.

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.