Intermodal Rail Traffic Rises in November

Intermodal rail volume for November rose 2.7%, and the weekly average volume was the highest level on record for the month, the Association of American Railroads reported.

Intermodal volume rose to 1.03 million units, and the weekly average for November reached 258,764 units, according to AAR.

Traffic for the first 11 months of the year increased 5.2% to 12.5 million intermodal units from last year.

Eleven of the 20 categories tracked by AAR posted increases in October from the prior year, led by crushed stone, sand and gravel (16.8%).

Intermodal volume for the week ended Nov. 29 increased 6.2% to 220,873 year-over-year, the rail trade group said.

“It’s not always easy to tell from available indicators how the economy is performing, and that is true for rail traffic in November when some traffic categories showed solid growth, others not so much,” AAR Senior Vice President John Gray said in a statement.