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December 21, 2012 8:30 AM, EST

U.S. rail intermodal traffic rose 8% last week over the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said.

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Container traffic for the week ended Saturday rose 11.4% to 219,607 units, but trailer traffic fell 10.4% to 32,378 units, AAR said.

Railroad carloads — excluding intermodal — fell 3.9% to 292,640 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 long haul and trucks for the shorter distance at either end of the trip.