Railroad Service Report Update – May ’16
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) published weekly service report updates for Class 1 railroads spanning data acquired through the end of Apr ’16. Overall, ethanol and grain transportation speeds remained above average levels throughout the month while weekly held cars remained below seasonal average levels.
Ethanol Transportation:
• Average train speeds for ethanol transportation remained significantly higher on a YOY basis. Apr 30th ethanol train speeds of 25.3 MPH were 13.4% higher than the historical average ethanol train speeds and 17.0% higher YOY.
• Ethanol cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of April, finishing 34.4% lower than the previous year during the week ending Apr 30th.
• Ethanol cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis throughout the majority of April but finished 8.5% above the previous year’s levels during the week ending Apr 30th.
Grain Transportation:
• Average train speeds for grain transportation also continued to remain higher on a YOY basis. Apr 30th grain train speeds of 24.1 MPH were 8.4% higher than the historical average grain train speeds and 11.7% higher YOY.
• Grain cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of April, finishing 29.5% lower than the previous year during the week ending Apr 30th.
• Grain cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis, finishing 20.7% below the previous year during the week ending Apr 30th.
Total Cars Online:
• Apr 30th total cars online totaled 1.00 million, down 0.2% from the previous week and 2.3% below last year’s figures. Apr 30th total cars online were the second lowest recorded since the data series began in Oct ’14, trailing only the Apr 14th figures.
• Apr 30th total cars online by railway were led by Union Pacific, followed by BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern.
• Ethanol cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of April, finishing 34.4% lower than the previous year during the week ending Apr 30th.
• Ethanol cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis throughout the majority of April but finished 8.5% above the previous year’s levels during the week ending Apr 30th.
Grain Transportation:
• Average train speeds for grain transportation also continued to remain higher on a YOY basis. Apr 30th grain train speeds of 24.1 MPH were 8.4% higher than the historical average grain train speeds and 11.7% higher YOY.
• Grain cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of April, finishing 29.5% lower than the previous year during the week ending Apr 30th.
• Grain cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis, finishing 20.7% below the previous year during the week ending Apr 30th.
Total Cars Online:
• Apr 30th total cars online totaled 1.00 million, down 0.2% from the previous week and 2.3% below last year’s figures. Apr 30th total cars online were the second lowest recorded since the data series began in Oct ’14, trailing only the Apr 14th figures.
• Apr 30th total cars online by railway were led by Union Pacific, followed by BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern.