Intermodal rail volume for April rose 9% compared with the same time last year, the 53rd consecutive year-over-year monthly increase, the Association of American Railroads reported.
Intermodal volume rose to 1.3 million units last month. The weekly average of intermodal units was the highest for any April and the second highest for any recorded month, AAR said.
“As is the case for a number of economic indicators that have shown recent improvement, the key question is how much of the rail traffic increase in April represents a catch-up from the winter and how much is a sign of stronger underlying growth. It’s probably some of both,” AAR Senior Vice President John Gray said.