The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroads in December 2017 was higher compared to December 2016. Total carloads were up 1.4 percent, from 324,700 in December 2016, to 329,320 in December 2017.
Crushed stone, sand and gravel led gains for the third straight month, up 31.6 percent over the previous year. Metals and products increased by 13.8 percent. Trailer or container led declines, down 30.4 percent, followed by nonmetallic minerals, down 14.5 percent. (Click here to download the Carloads by Commodity file as an Excel table.)
Total carloads for 2017 were at 4.2 million, up 163,878 carloads, or 4.0 percent over 2016.
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.