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Intermodal Traffic Gains 2.6% for Week
U.S. intermodal traffic rose 2.6% last week over the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported.
Container traffic for the week ended Saturday rose 4.6% to 221,048 units, while trailers fell 10% to 29,778 units.
Railroad carloads — excluding intermodal — fell 6.1% to 285,089 units for the week, 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 longhaul and trucks for the shorter distance at either end of the trip.