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In October, U.S. carloadings rose 8.7 percent and intermodal traffic climbed 14 percent compared with October 2009 levels, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

The weekly average of 235,444 intermodal units during the month reached the highest mark since October 2007 and 12th-highest weekly average on record. On the carload side, 15 of 19 commodity groups posted year-over-year gains.

“Last week, the government announced that GDP grew roughly 2 percent in the third quarter. Rail traffic in October suggests that similarly moderate growth is continuing into the fourth quarter,” said AAR Senior Vice President John Gray in a prepared statement.

However, the AAR’s seasonally adjusted traffic data for October shows carloads dipped 0.5 percent and intermodal loads dropped 0.9 percent from September levels.

During October, railroads brought 12,799 rail cars out of storage, leaving 318,275 cars — or about 20.8 percent of the North American fleet — still in reserve, the AAR said.