U.S. intermodal traffic rose 5.2% for the week ended Saturday from a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported.
Container traffic rose 6.9% to 210,105 units, while trailer traffic declined 3.9% to 34,867 units.
Railroad carloads excluding intermodal edged up 0.5% year-over-year to 299,591 units, 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.