April 28, 2021 AAR: Intermodal Soars in Week 16 Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor U.S. intermodal continued its double-digit growth trend for the week ending April 24, 2021, with a whopping 34.3% gain vs. the prior-year period, according to an Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) April 28 report. For comparison: The biggest monthly gain ever for intermodal came in March 2021—up 24% over March 2020, noted AAR earlier this month in Rail Time Indicators. That month contained two weeks of 28% gains. March also marked a rail traffic rebound, taking into account last year’s pandemic-related rail volume drop. For the week ending April 24, 2021, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 538,184 carloads and intermodal units, rising 30% vs. the same week last year. Total carloads came in at 240,075 and intermodal volume reached 298,109 containers and trailers, increasing 25% and 34.3%, respectively, over the same point in 2020.