The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroads decreased by 5 percent in year-over-year comparisons. Total carloads were down from 359,922 in July 2015 to 342,092 in July 2016.
Grain led commodity gains with a 23 percent increase, followed by stone, clay and glass products, and petroleum products, up 7 percent and 6 percent, respectively. Metallic ores experienced the most significant decline, down 29 percent, followed by crushed stone, sand and gravel, down 22 percent, along with nonmetallic minerals, down 21 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.