The Surface Transportation Board (STB) published weekly service report updates for Class 1 railroads spanning data acquired through the end of Jan ’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 reached the highest figures on record during the month of January. Jan 30th ethanol train speeds of 24.9 MPH were 13.8% higher than the historical average ethanol train speeds and 12.2% higher on a YOY basis. • Ethanol cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of January, finishing 37.2% lower than the previous year during the week ending Jan 30th. • Ethanol cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis, finishing 20.1% below the previous year during the week ending Jan 30th. Grain Transportation: • Average train speeds for grain transportation also reached the highest figures on record during the month of January. Jan 30th grain train speeds of 24.1 MPH were 9.7% higher than the historical average grain train speeds and 10.6% higher on a YOY basis. • Grain cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of January, finishing 32.7% lower than the previous year during the week ending Jan 30th. • Grain cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis, finishing 22.8% below the previous year during the week ending Jan 30th. Total Cars Online: • Jan 30th total cars online totaled 1.02 million, down 0.1% from the previous week and 2.4% below last year’s figures. • Jan 30th total cars online by railway were led by Union Pacific, followed by BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern.