Rail

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 9/1/1999

Thanks to a 0.3% hike in intermodal rates, linehaul rail rates inched up 0.1% from June to July. Compared with July 1998 rates, the average price to ship via intermodal rail rose 0.8%. Looking past intermodal at non-trailer on flatcar (TOFC) shipments, the price to ship food products via rail fell 6.8% in July 1999 from year-ago levels. Other big price drops included non-TOFC shipping of farm goods (down 2.8%), lumber and wood products (down 1.3%), chemicals (down 1.2%), and coal (down 0.9%).

% CHANGE VS.:1 month ago6 mos. ago1 yr. ago

Coal/Petroleum +0.1 +0.1 +0.7

Chemicals 0.0 +0.3 -1.2

Farm products +0.2 -0.2 -2.8

Motor vehicles 0.0 0.0 0.0

Metallic ores 0.0 0.0 +1.3