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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 0.5%, led by a 1% drop in trailer traffic to 49,121 units. Containers dipped 0.4% to 187,913 units.
Overall rail traffic dipped 0.8% for the week, to 335,245 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.