The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroad in December 2020 was up compared to December 2019. Carloads originated increased 4.5 percent, from 323,813 in December 2019 to 338,284 in December 2020.
Grain led gains with a 46.4 percent increase. Grain Mill Products was up 18.0 percent, and Waste and Scrap Materials and Stone, Clay and Glass Products increased 16.3 and 10.5 percent respectively. Nonmetallic Minerals led declines, down 37.5 percent. Motor Vehicles and Equipment, Metals and Products, Crushed Stone, Sand and Gravel, Coal, Metallic Ores and Pulp, Paper and Allied Products were also down in December.
Click here to download the Carloads by Commodity table as an Excel file.
Carloads originated for 2020 were at 3,895,423 through December 31, down about 258,000 carloads, or 6.2 percent from 2019.
Railinc publishes this information as a service to the rail industry. The Railinc Short Line and Regional Traffic Index can also be found monthly in Railway Age magazine. For questions or comments, please contact the Railinc Corporate Communications department.
