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U.S. railroads' intermodal streak continued the week ended Aug. 24 — not only the 20th straight week of traffic-volume gains compared with similar 2001 periods but road's highest volume level in nearly two years, according to Association of American Railroads data released Aug. 29.


Weekly intermodal volume totaled 197,938 trailers and containers, rising 7.4 percent compared with a similar 2001 week.


While intermodal moves continued to soar, U.S. weekly carload traffic was off 0.2 percent, which AAR attributes to a 16.5-percent drop in primary forest-product moves and 5.2-percent decline in coal shipments.


Meanwhile, U.S. roads though 2002's first 34 weeks moved 11,120,466 carloads, down 1.2 percent, and 6,051,240 trailers and containers, up 5.0 percent compared with last year.


Canadian railroads, too, are on the intermodal uptick after having moved 42,173 trailers and containers the week ended Aug. 24 — a 19.2 percent increase compared with a similar 2001 period. Canadian roads also moved 3.3 percent more carloads that week.


For the year's first 34 weeks, Canadian railroads moved 2,021,514 carloads, dipping 3.0 percent, and 1,281,510 trailers and containers, rising 8.9 percent compared with last year.