Intermodal Traffic Rises for Week, Posts Record Weekly Average in July
U.S. rail intermodal traffic rose 4.8% for the week ended Saturday from the same week a year ago and posted the highest weekly average for any July on record, the Association of American Railroads said.
Traffic for the week rose to 255,024 trailers and containers, AAR said in its weekly report.
July intermodal traffic rose 2.5% to 1.2 million units over the same month last year; the weekly average was 243,725 units.
Railroad carloads dipped 0.4% to 287,372 units for the week and declined 0.5% to 1.4 million for the month, AAR said.
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.
