Rail Freight Drops, Intermodal Continues to Rise, AAR Says
ail freight traffic declined for the week ended Dec. 3, but intermodal continued to rise compared with the same week a year earlier, the Association of American Railroads reported Thursday.
Total intermodal volume for the week rose 4.7% year-over-year to 243,722 units, AAR said. Trailer volume rose 2.5% to 66,296 units, while container volume gained 5.6% to 168,088 units.
Total rail carloads for the week fell 1.8% to 335,861 units, the group 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.
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