Rail

By Daryl Delano -- Logistics Management, 5/1/1998

Railroad operators saw their average charges rise by a sharp 0.8% between February and March, the second consecutive monthly rise. Average rail-freight prices during March of this year were 1.8% higher than in March 1997, the largest year-to-year increase in rail-sector prices recorded in more than six years. Despite the price increases during March, we expect that slowing demand and competition from other modes will keep rail freight inflation to under 1.0% this year.

% CHANGE VS.: 1 month ago 6 mos. ago 1 yr. ago

Coal NA NA NA

Chemicals +0.3 +0.2 +0.6

Grain +3.3 +3.0 +6.3

Motor vehicles +0.7 +0.5 -0.6

Metallic ores 0.0 +1.8 +1.8