The Surface Transportation Board (STB) published the 56th – 59th weekly service report updates for Class 1 railroads spanning data acquired through the end of Nov ’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 remained above average levels during the month of November. Nov 28th ethanol train speeds of 23.2 MPH were 7.7% higher than the historical average ethanol train speeds and 8.0% higher on a YOY basis. • Ethanol cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of November, finishing 30.9% lower than the previous year during the week ending Nov 28th. • Ethanol cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis, finishing 27.7% below the previous year during the week ending Nov 28th. Grain Transportation: • Average train speeds for grain transportation remained above average levels during the month of November. Nov 28th grain train speeds of 23.3 MPH were 7.4% higher than the historical average grain train speeds and 12.9% higher on a YOY basis. • Grain cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of November, finishing 36.3% lower than the previous year during the week ending Nov 28th. • Grain cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis, finishing 48.6% below the previous year during the week ending Nov 28th. Total Cars Online: • Nov 28th total cars online totaled 1.02 million, down 0.3% from the previous week and 3.9% below last year’s figures. • Nov 28th total cars online by railway were led by Union Pacific, followed by BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern.