The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroad in December 2021 was up compared to December 2020. Carloads originated increased 7.3 percent, from 331,252 in December 2020 to 355,370 in December 2021.
Nonmetallic Minerals led gains with a 47.6 percent increase. Crushed Stone, Sand and Gravel was up 34.7 percent, and Waste and Scrap Materials and Petroleum Products increased 20.4 and 17.7 percent, respectively. Motor Vehicles and Equipment led declines again, down 5.4 percent. Coal, Grain and All Other Carloads were also down in December.
Click here to download the Carloads by Commodity table as an Excel file.
Carloads originated for 2021 were at 4,401,181 through December 31, up about 557,000 carloads, or 14.5 percent from 2020.
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.
