U.S. intermodal volumes show uptick
Total U.S. intermodal volumes improved 5.8 percent, or 165,072 units, from the second to third quarter as the U.S. economy began its fragile recovery, according to statistics released by the Intermodal Association of North America.
The improvement coincided with a 3.5 percent increase in gross domestic product during the July-September period.
The quarter-to-quarter numbers are more significant than normal because the depth of the recession skews year-over-year comparisons and show that freight activity is picking up. But improvement is also evident in the annual figures. Quarterly volume fell 16.4 percent in the third quarter compared to 2008, but that was less than the 18.7 percent downturn in the second quarter versus the same period last year.
The strongest sector of intermodal business continues to be domestic containers, which grew in volume by 1.3 percent following 0.9 percent growth last quarter. Domestic container volumes have stayed flat during the recession, but never contracted, as railroads were able to convert more domestic truck shipments to rail.
International intermodal container volumes, reflecting the downturn in imports, fell 23 percent — the ninth consecutive month of declines. International intermodal traffic has declined by more than 20 percent each quarter this year versus the same periods in 2008. IANA said the rate of decline has slowed each month, with September volume off by 20 percent.