Intermodal Volume Jumps for Week, Month

ntermodal volume jumped 7.3% to 226,253 trailers or containers for the week ended April 30, the highest level ever for the first half of a year, the Association of American Railroads reported.

Container volume rose 8.7% while trailers rose 3.3%, AAR said in its weekly report. April intermodal traffic was up 6.4% over last year.

Rail car loadings rose 1.8% or 355,408 for the week. AAR estimated total volume for the week was 33.3 billion ton-miles, up 2.8% from a year earlier.

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.