The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroads in July 2018 was up compared to July 2017. Carloads originated increased 5.5 percent, from 353,404 in July 2017 to 372,917 in July 2018.
Metals and products led gains with a 22.6 percent increase. Petroleum products; stone, clay and glass products; chemicals; crushed stone, sand and gravel; pulp, paper and allied products; and waste and scrap materials were all up 10 percent or more. Coal led declines for the third straight month, down 13.6 percent. Grain and food and kindred products were also down in July. Click here to download the Carloads by Commodity table as an Excel file.
Carloads originated for 2018 were at about 2.5 million through July 31, up 29,000 carloads, or 1.2 percent from 2017.
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.
