The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroads decreased by 4.5 percent in year-to-year comparisons. Total carloads were down from 349,726 in April 2015 to 334,024 in April 2016.
Motor vehicles and equipment led commodity gains with a 20.7 percent increase, followed by stone, clay and glass products, up 9.3 percent, and chemicals and metals and products, both up nearly 5 percent. The most significant declines were observed in nonmetallic minerals, down 28.1 percent, followed by grain and coal, each of which was down about 13 percent. (Click here to download this file as an Excel table.)
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.