The Surface Transportation Board (STB) published weekly service report updates for Class 1 railroads spanning data acquired through the end of Dec ’15. 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 reached the highest figures on record during the month of December. Dec 26th ethanol train speeds of 24.4 MPH were 12.8% higher than the historical average ethanol train speeds and 19.2% higher on a YOY basis. • Ethanol cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of December, finishing 48.5% lower than the previous year during the week ending Dec 26th. • Ethanol cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis, finishing 38.6% below the previous year during the week ending Dec 26th. Grain Transportation: • Average train speeds for grain transportation also reached the highest figures on record during the month of December. Dec 26th grain train speeds of 23.0 MPH were 5.5% higher than the historical average grain train speeds and 9.9% higher on a YOY basis. • Grain cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of December, finishing 58.7% lower than the previous year during the week ending Dec 26th. • Grain cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis, finishing 5.3% below the previous year during the week ending Dec 26th. Total Cars Online: • Dec 26th total cars online totaled 1.01 million, down 0.2% from the previous week and 4.1% below last year’s figures. • Dec 26th total cars online by railway were led by Union Pacific, followed by BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern.