Last Weeks of September Set Intermodal Rail Volume Record
The second, third and fourth weeks of September were the three highest intermodal rail volume weeks on record for U.S. railroads, the Association of American Railroads reported.
In the second week of September, volume increased 5% to 279,052, in the third week it increased 6.4% to 279,777, and it climbed 2% last week to 275,071, according to figures from the rail trade group.
Intermodal rail volume for September rose 4.5% compared with the same time last year, AAR reported. Intermodal volume rose to 1.07 million units in September.
“As has generally been the case in recent months, U.S. freight rail traffic in September was consistent with an economy that’s growing at a steady pace. We think that will probably continue for the foreseeable future,” AAR Senior Vice President John Gray said in a statement.
Fifteen of the 20 categories tracked by AAR posted increases in September from the prior year, led by petroleum and petroleum products (28.1%).
For the first 39 weeks of the year, U.S. railroads moved 10 million intermodal containers and trailers, up 5.5% from 2013.
