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June 9, 2005 10:15 AM, EDT

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ail freight traffic rose in the first week in June, the second week of year-over-year growth following two weeks of declines, the Association of American Railroads reported Thursday.

Intermodal growth continued to rise over the levels of the same time last year, gaining 2.8% overall, with a 4.7% increase in containers, though trailer levels dropped 2.6%, AAR said.

Total rail volume increased 0.6% to 314,700 car loads for the week ended June 4, the rail trade group said in its weekly industry report. AAR estimated total revenue ton-miles at 30.1 billion, 1.3% above 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.