Rail Traffic Dips, Intermodal Gains For Week

verall rail freight traffic fell for the week ended July 23 compared with the same week last year, though intermodal volume continued to increase, the Association of American Railroads said.

Intermodal volume rose 4.9%, the rail trade group said in its weekly report. Container volume rose 6.5% to 232,013 units while trailer levels were unchanged from a year earlier, at 55,608 units.

Total rail volume fell 1.2% to 323,332 car loads for the week over the same week last year, 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.