Intermodal Traffic Gains 3.9% for Week

U.S. intermodal traffic rose 3.9% last week over the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported.

Container traffic for the week ended Saturday rose 6.3% to 221,546 units, while trailers fell 10.7% to 30,174 units.

Railroad carloads — excluding intermodal — fell 2.9% to 291,530 units for the week, AAR said in its weekly report.

Railroad volume is considered an important economic indicator. Intermodal traffic, which tends to be higher-valued merchandise than bulk commodities, uses trains for the longhaul and trucks for the shorter distance at either end of the trip.