Rail

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 6/1/1999

The average price charged to haul farm products via non-trailer-on-flatcar transportation fell 2.9% from April 1998 to April 1999, and prices for hauling processed food products fell an astounding 8.3% over the same period. But shippers of industrial products have seen average rail rates rise anywhere from 1.1% (for pulp and paper) to 3.9% (for primary metal products). These disparate trends are typical when the industry is in the midst of a pricing shift. The rail industry will see rates fall one-tenth of one percent in 1999, after a 1.2% annual hike in 1998.

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

Coal 0.0 +0.8 +0.6

Chemicals 0.0 -0.8 -1.0

Farm products -0.4 -0.1 -2.9

Motor vehicles 0.0 0.0 0.0

Metallic ores 0.0 +2.4 -1.1