Intermodal Traffic Rises 1.4% for Week
Intermodal traffic rose 1.4% last week, the Association of American Railroads reported.
Traffic rose to 248,210 units for the week ended Saturday, AAR said in its weekly report.
Year-to-date, intermodal traffic has risen 4.1%, to 5 million units, over the same period last year.
Railroad carloads declined 3.3% to 281,727 units, according to AAR.
Intermodal traffic at Norfolk Southern increased 5.8% last week, Bloomberg News reported. At CSX, it rose 3.7% but declined 3.3% at Union Pacific, Bloomberg reported.
Five of the 10 carload groups posted increases compared with the same week last year, led by a 28.7% rise in petroleum products.
Railroad volume is considered an important economic indicator. Intermodal traffic, which tends to be higher-value merchandise than bulk commodities, uses trains for the long haul and trucks for shorter distances at either end of the trip.
