Intermodal, Rail Carload Traffic Decline for Week

Rail intermodal traffic fell 4.7% last week compared with the same week last year, while rail carloads fell 2.7%, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday.

Intermodal volume declined to 222,484 trailers and containers for the week ended Friday, the rail trade group said in its weekly report. Container volume fell 2.9%, while trailers dropped 10.4%.

AAR estimated total volume for the week was 34.1 billion ton-miles, down 1.2% from a year ago.

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.