The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroad in March 2021 was up compared to March 2020. Carloads originated increased 6.8 percent, from 345,894 in March 2020 to 369,389 in March 2021.
Metallic Ores led gains with a 44.8 percent increase. Coal was up 40.9 percent and Trailer and Container and Grain increased 21.3 and 21.2 percent respectively. Crushed Stone, Sand and Gravel led declines, down 12.8 percent. Chemicals, Metals and Products, Nonmetallic Minerals, and Motor Vehicles were also down in March.
Click here to download the Carloads by Commodity table as an Excel file.
Carloads originated for 2021 were at 1,002,622 through March 31, down about 9,000 carloads, or 0.9 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.
