Average Length of Haul, Domestic Freight and Passenger Modes (metric)
(kilometers)
Embedded Dataset Excel:
Dataset Excel:
table_01_38M_042524.xlsx (33.81 KB)Notes:
Average length of haul for freight is calculated by dividing ton-miles by estimates of tonnage from the various data sources. The calculation of average length of haul for passenger trips varies by mode: for air carrier it is calculated by dividing revenue passenger-miles by revenue passenger enplanements; for commuter rail and Amtrak it is calculated by dividing passenger-miles by number of passengers.
Eno Transportation Foundation has discontinued some data series years prior to 1990.
Detail may not add to totals due to rounding.
1 kilometer = 0.621371 miles.
Description:
KEY: N = data do not exist; NA = not applicable; R = revised; U = data are not available.
a Amtrak began operations in 1971. Data are reported for fiscal years.
Source:
Freight:
Air carrier:
1991-2001: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Freight Summary Data (U.S. Carriers), special tabulation, available at http://www.transtats.bts.gov/rtm91_02.htm as of Aug. 18, 2011.
2002: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, TranStats Database, T-100 Market Data, special tabulation, Mar. 18, 2010.
2003-23: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Cargo Summary Data (All U.S. Carriers), special tabulation, available at http://www.transtats.bts.gov/freight.asp as of Apr. 17, 2024.
Class I rail:
Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), pp. 30, 31, and similar pages in previous editions.
Water:
1960-2021: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce of the United States, Part 5 (New Orleans, LA: Annual Issues), section 1, table 1-4, available at https://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/About/Technical-Centers/WCSC-Waterborne-Commerce-Statistics-Center-2/ as of Apr. 17, 2024.
2022: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2022 Transportation Facts & Information (New Orleans, LA: Annual Issues), Geographic Distribution of U.S. Waterborne Activities in 2022, available at https://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/About/Technical-Centers/WCSC-Waterborne-Commerce-Statistics-Center-2/ as of Apr. 17, 2024.
Oil pipeline:
1960-70: Transportation Policy Associates, Washington, DC, personal communication.
Passenger:
Air carrier:
1960-99: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Traffic Statistics, T-100 Segment Data (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), p. 3 and similar pages in previous issues.
2000-23: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, TranStats Database, T-100 Market Data and T-100 Segment Data, special tabulation, available at http://www.transtats.bts.gov/Data_Elements.aspx?Data=3 as of Apr. 17, 2024.
Commuter Rail:
1980-95: American Public Transportation Association, Public Transportation Fact Book, Appendix A: Historical Tables (Washington, DC: April 2011), table 3, available at http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Pages/transitstats.aspx as of Aug. 18, 2011.
1996-2001: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table 19 and similar tables in earlier editions as of Nov. 2016.
2002-22: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), Annual Database Service, available at https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd/ntd-data as of Apr. 17, 2024.
Amtrak:
1970-85: Amtrak, personal communication, Jan. 26, 1999.
1990-2002: Amtrak, Amtrak Annual Report (Washington, DC: 2003), Statistical Appendix.
2003-22: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), p. 73 and similar pages in previous editions.