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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

TABLE 4-33 Rail Freight Average Speeds, Revenue Ton-Miles, and Terminal Dwell Times: 2004-2009

Monday, September 10, 2012

TABLE 4-33 Rail Freight Average Speeds, Revenue Ton-Miles, and Terminal Dwell Times: 2004-2009

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Line-haul speed is a shipper-related indicator of the performance of the railroad industry. The average speed is the over-the-rail train speed and does not include terminal dwell time, time for local pickup and delivery, and the time shipments spend in storage yards.

Quarter Average line-haul speed (mph) Revenue ton-miles
(billions)
Average terminal dwell time (hours)
2004 Q1 23.2 395.6 U
2004 Q2 22.3 409.8 27.0
2004 Q3 22.4 417.3 26.4
2004 Q4 22.1 429.3 27.3
2005 Q1 21.7 416.7 27.5
2005 Q2 21.6 417.8 26.3
2005 Q3 21.7 421.0 25.9
2005 Q4 20.8 420.6 27.2
2006 Q1 21.4 429.8 25.9
2006 Q2 21.4 442.7 24.6
2006 Q3 21.7 443.6 23.9
2006 Q4 22.1 467.2 24.0
2007 Q1 21.8 421.8 24.3
2007 Q2 21.6 432.0 23.1
2007 Q3 22.0 444.3 23.4
2007 Q4 22.5 446.0 23.8
2008 Q1 22.4 442.5 24.0
2008 Q2 22.2 443.0 23.2
2008 Q3 22.7 450.6 23.2
2008 Q4 23.9 428.7 23.6
2009 Q1 25.3 378.3 21.3
2009 Q2 25.8 363.7 22.8
2009 Q3 25.6 387.5 23.2
2009 Q4 23.9 386.1 22.0

KEY: U = Data are unavailable.

NOTES: Average line-haul speed data are preliminary for 2005 Q1 through 2009 Q4. Canadian National Railway Co. (CN) data are excluded from average line-haul speed and average terminal dwell time, but not from revenue ton-miles.

SOURCES: Sources: Average line-haul speed and terminal dwell time: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, special tabulation using data from Association of American Railroads, Railroad Performance Measures, available at http://www.railroadpm.org/ as of October 2010, and Surface Transportation Board (STB), Statistics of Class I Railroads in the United States, available at http://www.stb.dot.gov/ as of October 2010; Revenue ton-miles: STB, Quarterly Selected Earnings Report, available at http://www.stb.dot.gov/ as of October 2010.