U.S. intermodal traffic rose 6.5% last week over the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads reported.
Container traffic for the week ended Saturday rose 8.2% to 218,857 units, while trailers fell 4.2% to 30,256 units.
Railroad carloadsÌý— excluding intermodalÌý— declined 3.4% to 292,732 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 longhaul and trucks for the shorter distance at either end of the trip.