Intermodal Traffic Gains 3.5% for Week
U.S. intermodal traffic rose 3.5% last week over the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported.
Container traffic for the week ended Oct. 20 rose 6.1% to 224,491 units, while trailers fell 12.9% to 29,392 units.
Railroad carloads — excluding intermodal — fell 4.4% to 288,791 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.
