Intermodal Traffic Gains 2.5% for Week

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Port of Tacoma, Wash.

U.S. intermodal traffic rose 2.5% last week over the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported.

Container traffic for the week ended Saturday rose 4.6% to 226,169 units, while trailers fell 10.3% to 31,056 units.

Railroad carloads, excluding intermodal, fell 5.3% to 295,243 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 longhaul and trucks for the shorter distance at either end of the trip.