Intermodal Traffic Rises 8.7% for Week
Intermodal traffic rose 8.7% last week from a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported.
The gain was led by a 10.2% increase in container traffic to 201,363 units. Trailers edged up 0.7% to 32,872 units, AAR said in its weekly report.
Railroad carloads excluding intermodal showed a 2.3% increase for the week ended Saturday to 295,148 carloads, the group said.
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.
