The Surface Transportation Board (STB) published weekly service report updates for Class 1 railroads spanning data acquired through the end of May ’16. Overall, ethanol and grain transportation speeds remained above average levels throughout the month while weekly held cars remained below seasonal average levels. Ethanol Transportation: • Average train speeds for ethanol transportation remained significantly higher on a YOY basis. May 28th ethanol train speeds of 24.6 MPH were 9.5% higher than the historical average ethanol train speeds and 8.8% higher YOY. • Ethanol cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of May, finishing 27.5% lower than the previous year during the week ending May 28th. • Ethanol cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis, finishing 67.1% below the previous year during the week ending May 28th. Grain Transportation: • Average train speeds for grain transportation also continued to remain higher on a YOY basis. May 28th grain train speeds of 24.1 MPH were 7.6% higher than the historical average grain train speeds and 5.6% higher YOY. • Grain cars held 48-120 hours remained below average seasonal levels throughout the month of May, finishing 24.3% lower than the previous year during the week ending May 28th. • Grain cars held longer than 120 hours also remained lower on a seasonal basis, finishing 26.3% below the previous year during the week ending May 28th. Total Cars Online: • May 28th total cars online totaled 995,000, down 0.1% from the previous week and 2.7% below last year’s figures. May 28th total cars online were the lowest recorded since the data series began in Oct ’14. • May 28th total cars online by railway were led by Union Pacific, followed by BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern.