Intermodal Traffic Rises 4.6% for Week

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Michael G. Malloy/TT

U.S. intermodal traffic rose 4.6% for the week ended Saturday from a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said.

Container traffic rose 4.6% to 211,194 units, while trailer traffic rose 1.5% to 34,210 units.

Railroad carloads excluding intermodal slipped 0.5% to 301,864 units, 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 long haul and trucks for the shorter distance at either end of the trip.