OHC IntermodalU.S. rail intermodal traffic rose 11% to 238,083 units last week over the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said.
Year-to-date, intermodal traffic rose 7.3% to 1.9 million units over the same period last year.
Railroad carloads fell 1.2% to 278,059 units for the week, AAR said.
Four of the 10 carload groups posted increases, compared with the same week last year, led by a 66.4% jump in petroleum products.
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.