December 9, 2005 8:30 AM, EST

Rail Freight Drops, Intermodal Continues to Rise, AAR Says

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ail freight traffic declined for the week ended Dec. 3, but intermodal continued to rise compared with the same week a year earlier, the Association of American Railroads reported Thursday.

Total intermodal volume for the week rose 4.7% year-over-year to 243,722 units, AAR said. Trailer volume rose 2.5% to 66,296 units, while container volume gained 5.6% to 168,088 units.

Total rail carloads for the week fell 1.8% to 335,861 units, the group said in its weekly report.

For the month of November, intermodal was up 4.6% over last year, while carload freight was off 1% from last year’s total, AAR reported.

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.