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Rail, Intermodal Traffic Decline for Week
Rail and intermodal traffic both declined for the week ended Saturday compared with a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said.
Intermodal traffic fell 1.4%, led by a 1.9% drop in container traffic to 183,968 units. Trailers rose 0.3% to 49,980 units.
Overall rail traffic dipped 0.1% for the week, to 328,281 carloads, the group 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.