Freight rail is one of the basic building blocks of the U.S. economy, and its impact creates an immense ripple effect that touches all regions, including the Research Triangle, and most industries.
How big is that ripple effect?
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.
The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroads remained steady with a less than 1 percent decrease in year-to-year comparisons. Total carloads were down slightly from 350,139 in March 2015 to 348,816 in March 2016.
Railinc's Umler® system contains data on more than 2 million pieces of rail equipment used in interline service, from railcar type to manufacture date to locomotive fuel capacity and horsepower.
The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroads increased by 14 percent in year-to-year comparisons. Total carloads were up from 290,963 in February 2015 to 331,709 in February 2016.
The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroads decreased by about 5 percent in year-to-year comparisons. Total carloads were down from 341,663 in January 2015 to 323,123 in January 2016.
The total size of the North American rail equipment fleet held steady during fourth quarter 2015. The total equipment count was 2,060,914 in the fourth quarter, compared to 2,056,726 during the third quarter of 2015, resulting in a 0.2 percent increase.
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.
The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroads decreased slightly by 2 percent in year-to-year comparisons. Total carloads were down from 331,740 in November 2014 to 326,535 in November 2015.