Rail, Intermodal Levels Drop

Rail carload and intermodal freight continued a downward trend compared with a year ago, as year-over-year levels fell for the week ended Saturday, the Association of American Railroads said.

Rail intermodal volume fell 3.2% to 239,286 trailers and containers, AAR said in its weekly report. Container volume fell 0.8%, while trailer volume dropped 11.6%.

Rail carload traffic totaled 321,232 cars, down 2.2% from a year ago.

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.