Intermodal traffic climbed 1% last week on higher container traffic, the Association of American Railroads reported.
Container traffic increased 1.7% to 205,910 units from a year ago, while trailer traffic fell 3.4% to 32,770 units, AAR said.
Railroad carloads, excluding intermodal, rose 1.1% for the week ended Saturday, to 300,521 units, AAR said in its weekly report.
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.