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Intermodal Traffic Rises 2.5% for Week
U.S. rail intermodal traffic rose 2.5% last week from the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said.
Traffic rose to 252,641 units for the week ended Saturday, AAR said in its weekly report.
Year-to-date, intermodal traffic has risen 4%, to 5.5 million units, over the same period last year.
Railroad carloads declined 2.8% to 278,249 units, according to AAR.
Five of the 10 carload groups posted increases compared with the same week last year, led by a 27.8% rise in petroleum products.
Railroad volume is considered an important economic indicator. Intermodal traffic, which tends to be higher-value merchandise than bulk commodities, uses trains for the long haul and trucks for shorter distances at either end of the trip.
