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Intermodal Traffic Gains for Week
Intermodal rail traffic rose 12% last week from the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday.
Total intermodal volume grew to 210,914 units, from 188,351 last year, AAR said in its weekly report.
Containers jumped 14.4% to 178,424 units, while trailers gained 0.3% to 32,490 units for the week ended Saturday.
Freight rail traffic, which excludes intermodal traffic, rose 16.5% to 293,114 carloads, marking the highest weekly level since November 2008, 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.
