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Intermodal Traffic Gains 2.4% for Week
e datetime="00Z">November 21, 2012 1:45 PM, EST
U.S. rail intermodal traffic rose 2.4% last week over the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said.
Container traffic for the week ended Saturday rose 5.3% to 218,868 units,Ìýbut trailer traffic fell 14.6% to 30,247 units, AAR said.
Railroad carloads — excluding intermodal — fell 4.3% to 288,717 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.
