The Surface Transportation Board (STB) published weekly service report updates for Class 1 railroads spanning data acquired through the end of Mar ’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 2nd ethanol train speeds of 24.7 MPH were 11.1% higher than the historical average ethanol train speeds and 8.4% higher YOY. • Ethanol cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of March, finishing 43.2% lower than the previous year during the week ending Apr 2nd. • Ethanol cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis, finishing 28.8% below the previous year during the week ending Apr 2nd. Grain Transportation: • Average train speeds for grain transportation also continued to remain higher on a YOY basis. Apr 2nd grain train speeds of 23.1 MPH were 4.1% higher than the historical average grain train speeds and 7.9% higher YOY. • Grain cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of March, finishing 35.5% lower than the previous year during the week ending Apr 2nd. • Grain cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis, finishing 21.0% below the previous year during the week ending Apr 2nd. Total Cars Online: • Apr 2nd total cars online totaled 1.01 million, down 0.7% from the previous week and 3.4% below last year’s figures. Apr 2nd total cars online were the lowest recorded since the data series began in Oct ’14. • Apr 2nd total cars online by railway were led by Union Pacific, followed by BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern.