Rail Freight Declines; Intermodal Reaches Weekly Record

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verall rail freight traffic fell for the week ended Oct. 15 but intermodal levels reached a record, the Association of American Railroads reported.

Intermodal traffic jumped 8% over the same week last year, to 249,664 trailers or containers AAR said in its weekly report.

Trailer volume rose 3.9% to 64,383 units, while containers jumped 9.4% to 185,281 units, the group said.

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.