The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroads increased by 7 percent in year-to-year comparisons. Total carloads were up from 375,728 in August 2013 to 400,471 in August 2014.
The largest gains were observed in metallic ores, up 70 percent, followed by nonmetallic minerals and grain, up 52 percent and 23 percent, respectively. Four commodities experienced declines in August 2013; grain mill products was down 5 percent, followed by food and kindred products, petroleum products, and waste and scrap materials, which were each down 3 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.