Intermodal Traffic Rises 2.3% for Week as Carload Decline Continues
U.S. rail intermodal traffic rose 2.3% for the week ended July 18 as carloads continued to decline, the Association of American Railroads reported.
Intermodal traffic increased from the same week last year to 273,850 intermodal trailers and containers, AAR announced July 22 in its weekly report.
The rise follows a 2.4% increase the prior week. Rail carload volume, which excludes intermodal units, dropped 7.3% from the same time last year to 277,331 carloads.
Four of the 10 commodity groups tracked by AAR posted an increase in traffic for the week, led by miscellaneous carloads at 6.3%.
Intermodal volume for 13 reporting North American railroads increased 2.5% to 347,284 trailers and containers.
North American carload volume, excluding intermodal, declined 7% to 370,609.
Canadian railroads moved 62,638 intermodal units, a 5.5% rise. Mexican rail moved 10,796 units, a 7.4% decline from the same time last year.
Year to date, U.S. intermodal volume increased 2.6% to 7.4 million units.
For the first 26 weeks of the year, carloads declined 4.1% to 7.7 million from the same time last year, according to AAR.
