Weekly service report updates for Class 1 railroads provided by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) were recently updated with values spanning through the end of Apr ’18. Overall, total cars online remained higher on a YOY basis while grain and ethanol rail transportation speeds finished lower. Total Railcars Online:

• Apr 28^th week ending total railcars online totaled 1.047 million, finishing 0.1% below the previous week but remaining higher on a YOY basis for the 71^st consecutive week, finishing up 2.9%.

Grain Rail Transportation:

• Apr 28^th week ending average train speeds for grain transportation remained lower on a YOY basis for the 17^th time in the past 18 weeks. Apr 28^th week ending grain train speeds of 21.0 MPH finished 8.4% lower YOY and 6.4% below historical average grain train speeds.

Ethanol Rail Transportation:

• Apr 28^th week ending average train speeds for ethanol transportation also finished lower on a YOY basis for the 17^th time in the past 18 weeks. Apr 28^th week ending ethanol train speeds of 22.6 MPH finished 7.3% lower YOY and 0.8% below historical average ethanol train speeds.