[Stay on top of transportation news: .]
Weekly Intermodal Traffic Rises 5.5%
U.S. intermodal traffic rose 5.5% for the week ended Saturday from a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported.
Container traffic climbed 7.2% to 204,330 units, while trailer traffic fell 4.7% to 30,698 units.
Railroad carloads excluding intermodal slipped 2.8% to 283,654 units, the rail trade 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.
