Intermodal Traffic Rises for Week
Intermodal rose 16.5% for the week ended Saturday, the Association of American Railroads said.
Traffic totaled 240,252 trailers and containers, led by a 17.6% jump in containers to 204,323 units. Trailers rose 10.2% to 35,929 units.
Intermodal traffic was 1.9% below the same week in 2008, the group said in its weekly report. Containers were up 5.8%, while trailers plunged 30.6%.
U.S. railroads originated 299.394 carloads for the week, 7.7% higher than a year ago but 10.7% below 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.
