Weekly Intermodal Traffic Declines for First Time in 11 Months
U.S. rail intermodal traffic dropped for the first time in 11 months, the Association of American Railroads reported Jan. 21.
Intermodal volume dipped 2.4% for the week ended Jan. 17. Railroads moved 260,893 intermodal trailers and containers, AAR said in its weekly report.
The previous decline of 5.7% occurred during the week of Feb. 21 when railroads moved 236,625 containers.
Despite the decline, intermodal volume was the second-highest on record for a January week, according to AAR.
Rail carload volume, which excludes intermodal units, increased 0.3% year-over-year to 290,963 carloads.
Five of the 10 commodity groups AAR tracks increased over last year, led by grain at 18.2%.
Intermodal volume for all of North America declined 0.6% to 330,972 trailers and containers.
Canadian railroads moved 58,844 intermodal units, a 7.4% increase. Mexican rail moved 11,235 units, a 4.3% rise from the same time last year.
For the first two weeks of 2015, intermodal volume declined 0.3% to 501,840 units from last year.
