Railroad Service Report Update – Apr ’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 Mar ’20. Overall, total cars online remained lower on a YOY basis for the 72nd consecutive week, however grain and ethanol rail transportation speeds remained higher on a YOY basis.
Total Railcars Online:
Mar 28th week ending total railcars online totaled 983,300, finishing 0.4% below the previous week and reaching the second lowest weekly figure on record. Total railcars online remained lower on a YOY basis for the 72nd consecutive week, finishing down 5.8%. The YOY decline in total railcars online was the largest on record.
Grain Rail Transportation:
Mar 28th week ending grain train speeds of 24.0 MPH finished 6.1% higher YOY and 7.0% above historical average grain train speeds. The YOY increase in grain train speeds was the 55th experienced in a row.
Ethanol Rail Transportation:
Mar 28th week ending ethanol train speeds of 24.9 MPH finished 9.5% higher YOY and 9.0% above historical average ethanol train speeds. The YOY increase in ethanol train speeds was the 37th experienced throughout the past 38 weeks.