Infos Transport (Patrice Salini)

Intermodal posts record gains in 2003 ______________________________ Source : http://www.manufacturing.net/lm/article/CA380536 ________________ By Staff -- 2/1/2004 This could be the year. With intermodal rail shipments in the United States and Canada reaching an all-time high in 2003 on the strength of a record 6.8-percent increase, intermodal stands to overtake coal shipments as the railroads' largest source of revenue. According to a study done by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) last month, railroads moved more than 12 million containers last year, up from 11.3 million in 2002. Of that total, 9.9 million were U.S.-based shipments. A number of factors spurred the uptick in intermodal shipments. "The economy has started to improve," says Tom White, AAR's director of editorial services. "Most consumer goods that move by rail move by intermodal, and that has had an impact on growth this past year. In addition, through most of the year the