[Stay on top of transportation news: .]
Rail, Intermodal Traffic Fall 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 by 3%, led by a 3.2% drop in container traffic to 181,714 units. Trailers declined 1.9% to 49,111 units.
Overall rail traffic dipped 0.3% for the week, to 337,765 carloads, the group said.
For the month of July, rail traffic edged up 1.1%, while intermodal traffic fell by 2.2% compared with the same month last year.
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.