Intermodal Traffic Sets June Record
U.S. intermodal traffic rose 5.2% in June from a year ago and was the highest weekly average for the month of June on record, the Association of American Railroads said.
Volume rose to 996,022 units, and June’s average weekly volume of 249,006 units was the third highest for any month on record, trailing only August and October of 2006, the rail trade group said.
“Intermodal originations in 2012 through June are slightly ahead of 2006’s record pace, setting up the very real possibility that 2012 will be the highest-volume intermodal year ever for U.S. railroads,” AAR Senior Vice President John Gray said in a statement.
Intermodal activity for the week ended June 30 rose 7%, led by 9.2% jump in container traffic to 222,410 units, offsetting a 6.8% drop in trailer traffic to 31,087 units.
Railroad carloads excluding intermodal declined 1.3% for the month, to 1.14 million units, and fell 2.5% for the week ended June 30 to 278,634 units, AAR 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.
