Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) has reported an increase of 26.2 percent, or 56,233 carloads, for December 2016 compared to December 2015. Carloads totaled 270,543.
Same-railroad traffic for December 2016 was up by 8.3 percent, or 17,834 carloads, to 232,144 carloads when compared to December 2015.
G&W’s North American operations reported an increase in December traffic of 3.8 percent to 131,118 carloads. Same-railroad traffic, which excludes traffic from the Providence and Worcester Railroad Company (P&W) acquisition, which closed on November 1, 2016, was up 1.2 percent, primarily due to increased coal & coke and metals traffic, partially offset by decreased minerals & stone traffic.
North American same-railroad traffic saw coal & coke traffic increase by 23.9 percent, or 3,989 carloads, primarily due to increased shipments of utility coal in G&W’s Midwest and Central regions. Metals traffic increased 16.6 percent, or 1,693 carloads, which was mostly due to increased shipments in G&W’s Northeast Region. Minerals & stone traffic dropped 10.3 percent, or 1,501 carloads, due to decreased shipments of construction aggregates in G&W’s Coastal, Central, Midwest and Northeast regions.
G&W’s traffic in the fourth quarter of 2016 was 766,550 carloads, an increase of 56,417 carloads, or 7.9 percent, compared with the fourth quarter of 2015. Same-railroad traffic in the fourth quarter increased 2.1 percent, 14,825 carloads, compared with the fourth quarter of 2015. Carloads for the quarter totaled 724,958 carloads.
In the fourth quarter of 2016 North American operations traffic increased 14,711 carloads, or 3.8 percent. Traffic for the quarter totaled 402,939 carloads. This was primarily due to increases in shipments of auto & auto parts, coal & coke and waste and metals.