Intermodal Shipments Rise, But Overall Rail Traffic Falls

March 17, 2006 9:06 AM, EST

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Intermodal traffic rose last week relative to the same period in 2005, according to a report published Thursday by the Association of American Railroads reported.

For the week ended March 11, total intermodal volume dropped 8.8% to just nearly 224,000 carloads.

Intermodal trailer volume fell 1.8% to 55,873 for the week, but container loadings rose 12.8% to 168,016.

However, overall freight shipments, including intermodal and bulk, fell 1.5% to 333,754, the report said.

Total volume of all rail shipments fell 0.3% to 33.1 billion ton-miles, AAR 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.