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Rail, Intermodal Traffic Fall for Week
Intermodal rail traffic in the United States fell 12.4% last week from the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said in its weekly report.
Total intermodal volume dropped to 205,137 units, from 234,286 last year. Containers fell 6.2% to 172,974 units, while trailer volume plunged 35.5% to 32,163 units.
Freight rail traffic, which excludes intermodal traffic fell 9.6% compared with last year to 282,341 carloads, 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.