Return to all data sources used in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ Transportation Services Index.

General

The Transportation Services Index uses rail revenue passenger-miles (RPM) compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Office of Safety.

The data can be found on the FRA Office of Safety website at http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/OfficeofSafety/, Table 1.02: Operational Data Tables. From here, one may choose individual railroad RPM data. For the TSI, BTS selects Amtrak (National Railroad Corporation) and Alaska Railroad Corporation. The Amtrak data do not include contract commuter rail service. Amtrak commuter rail contract services are part of public transit ridership in the TSI.

Methodology

The data provided on FRAs website is monthly with a three-month lag (i.e., the data available at the beginning of the month are for two months back). Often, data up to three months earlier are revised. Data for Amtrak also can be retrieved from the Amtrak Monthly Report. The time lag for data from the Amtrak Monthly Report is approximately one month.

Data Quality Questions

Coverage/Completeness

The data are representative since they come from a census of all railroads.

• Is this data source a frame or sample?
  The data source includes all railroads, but the Bureau of Transportation Statistics uses only Amtrak (excluding commuter rail) and Alaska railroad data in the TSI.
• Does the sample cover the entire frame? Or is there some group that is missing or underrepresented in the sample?
  The FRA data source excludes commuter rail, transit rail, and freight rail, but other databases used to compile the TSI capture these modes.

Timeliness

• Are the data available monthly?
  Yes.
• How soon are the data available after the month is over?
  There is a three-month lag.
• Are the data easy to access and use?
  Yes.
• Are the microdata available for use?
   No

Accuracy

• Are there duplicate records?
  No.
• Are there outliers in the data?
  No.
• Are data missing for individual records?
  No.
• How accurate are the key data fields?
  Prior to 1986, rail passenger car-miles were recorded and reported, rather than passenger-miles.
• Are variances available for this data source? If so, what method was used to calculate variances?
  No.

Comparability

• Are the data comparable over time within the data source? If not, can data be made to be comparable (i.e., combining two data series)?
  Yes, the data are comparable over time within the data source for rail passenger-miles. However, prior to 1986, passenger car-miles were recorded and reported, rather than passenger-miles. Since 1986, passenger-miles have been reported.

Other Questions and Important Information

• Is sufficient documentation available for the data source?
• Sufficient documentation would include:
  • Data dictionary:
    Not available.
  • Detailed description of the methodology:
    Not available.
  • Operational details:
    Not available.
  • Estimation methods:
    Not available.
• Are other sources available for the same data?
  Amtrak publishes RPM numbers in the Amtrak Monthly Report.
• Are other sources available for the same data?
  Amtrak publishes RPM numbers in the Amtrak Monthly Report.
• Who is the contact for the data source?
  U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Safety, RsisHelpdesk@dot.gov