Railroad Service Report Update – Jun ’20
Weekly service report updates for Class 1 railroads provided by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) were recently updated with values spanning through the end of May ’20. Overall, total cars online remained near recent record low levels, however grain and ethanol rail transportation speeds remained higher on a YOY basis.
Total Railcars Online:
May 30th week ending total railcars online totaled 942,000, finishing 0.3% below the previous week but remaining slightly above the record low level experienced throughout the second week of May. Online railcar figures have been compiled since the fourth quarter of 2014. Total railcars online remained lower on a YOY basis for the 81st consecutive week, finishing down 8.2%.
Grain Rail Transportation:
May 30th week ending grain train speeds of 25.5 MPH finished 12.1% higher YOY and 13.2% above historical average grain train speeds, remaining near recent record high levels. The YOY increase in grain train speeds was the 64th experienced in a row.
Ethanol Rail Transportation:
May 30th week ending ethanol train speeds of 25.0 MPH finished 9.7% higher YOY and 9.2% above historical average ethanol train speeds. The YOY increase in ethanol train speeds was the 46th experienced throughout the past 47 weeks.