Intermodal is on a roll.

Schneider National Inc. has opened a new steel-wheel interchange in Jackson, Miss., as part of its Mexico Direct intermodal service.

The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) has joined with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in a pilot program to expedite the issuance and delivery of roadside inspection reports.

Total intermodal traffic grew in the third quarter of 2013 by 4.7 percent, year-over-year, attributable to gains across the board, according to the Intermodal Association of North America. Domestic container volume continued to lead intermodal growth, posting a year-over-year increase of 9.4 percent, and combined with a 1.2 percent boost in intermodal trailer volume for the same period, all domestic equipment experienced 7.6 percent year-over-year gains during the third quarter of 2013.

The Far East Land Bridge cargo cooperation, whose members aim to revolutionize rail connectivity along the Trans-Siberian route, has witnessed the first container freight train travel from Suzhou, China, to Warsaw, Poland. The 14-day transit resulted from a project among the government of the City of Suzhou in the Jiangsu Province, PKP Cargo (the Polish state railway) and RZD Logistics (part of Russia's rail behemoth).

Union Pacific Railroad has developed new technology to increase the aerodynamic efficiency of double-stack intermodal trains.

President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil plans to build 11,000 kilometers (6,835 miles) of rail and grant wider access to existing privately operated lines to cut shipping costs by as much as 30 percent in the country. The auction of a concession to build and manage the first of a dozen railways costing a total $42bn will take place as early as October.

Domestic container volume continued its steady performance in the second quarter of 2013 with 9 percent year-over-year gains, largely attributable to a strong big-box segment, with total intermodal traffic rising by 2.4 percent for the quarter, according to IANA, a trade association for the intermodal transportation industry.