Intermodal Traffic Takes First Dip in a Year
Intermodal traffic fell last week for the first time in a year, largely due to winter storm disruptions, the Association of American Railroads reported.
Traffic fell 1.5% to 198,249 units, led by a 2.5% downturn in containers to 166,313 units. Trailers rose 4.1% to 31,936 units.
Railroad carloads for the week were flat, at 267,682 carloads for the week ended Saturday, AAR said in its weekly report.
A huge winter storm disrupted rail and truck traffic last week throughout much of the country.
Ongoing severe winter weather could affect intermodal data for the next several weeks in year-over-year comparisons, Jeffries & Co. analyst Peter Nesvold wrote in a note to investors.
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.
