The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroads decreased by 6 percent in year-to-year comparisons. Total carloads were down from 356,316 in December 2014 to 333,751 in December 2015.
Metallic ores led commodity gains with a 57 percent increase. The only other commodities experiencing gains this month were petroleum products and chemicals, up 15 percent and 1 percent, respectively. The most significant declines were observed in nonmetallic minerals, down 25 percent, followed by metals and products down 20 percent, and coal, down 16 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.