BTS | Table 1-42M. Average Length of Haul, Domestic Freight and Passenger Modes (Kilometers)

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Table 1-42M. Average Length of Haul, Domestic Freight and Passenger Modes (Kilometers)

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	1960	1965	1970	1975	1980	1985	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
Freight
Air carrier	1,534	1,518	1,632	1,741	1,693	1,862	2,235	2,166	2,239	2,134	^R1,793	^R1,720	^R1,730	^R1,453	1,432
Truck^a	438	417	423	460	584	589	629	641	660	655	631	669	^R686	^R700	715
Class I rail	742	810	829	871	991	1,070	1,168	1,209	1,228	1,278	1,315	1,357	1,355	1,370	1,344
Water
Coastwise	2,408	2,416	2,429	2,192	3,082	3,174	2,581	2,744	2,836	2,655	2,659	2,659	2,456	2,140	2,029
Lakewise	840	795	814	853	863	843	890	861	835	827	818	827	818	816	813
Internal	454	478	531	576	652	700	756	777	771	753	776	795	768	750	760
Intraport	U	U	U	26	27	24	21	21	19	19	26	26	27	24	24
Oil Pipeline
Crude	523	515	483	1,019	1,402	1,250	1,296	1,326	1,331	1,259	1,217	^R1,202	^R1,254	^R1,147	1,109
Petroleum products	433	539	575	830	666	629	626	608	605	642	644	^R632	^R632	^R632	632
Passenger
Air carrier,	938	988	1,091	1,123	1,184	1,220	1,292	1,297	1,297	1,286	1,267	1,273	1,291	^R1,315	1,308
domestic, scheduled
Bus, intercity	127	151	171	182	201	195	227	230	219	222	222	225	230	^R232	232
Commuter rail	33	34	36	37	37	38	35	37	37	35	34	39	39	^R37	U
Amtrak^b	^RN	^RN	^RN	^R380	^R348	^R372	439	457	459	452	436	431	414	412	406

^aTotal Class I and Class II motor carriers of freight (less-than-truckload, specialized carrier for truckload, and others).
^b Amtrak began operations in 1971. Data are reported for fiscal years.

KEY: N = data do not exist; R = revised; U = data are not available.

NOTES: Conversion to Kilometers occurred after the following calculations. Average length of haul for freight is calculated by dividing ton-miles in table 1-11 by estimates of tonnage from the various data sources. The calculation of average length of haul for passenger trips varies by mode: for air carrier it is calculated by dividing revenue passenger-miles by revenue passenger enplanements; for commuter rail, intercity bus, and Amtrak it is calculated by dividing passenger-miles by number of passengers.

SOURCES:
Freight:
Air carrier, truck:
Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation In America, 1999 (Washington, DC: 1999), p. 71.
Class I rail:
Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: 1999), p. 36.
Water:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce of the United States, Part 5 (New Orleans, LA: Annual issues), section 1, Table 1-4
Oil pipeline:
1960-70: Transportation Policy Associates, Washington, DC, personal communication.
1975-98: Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation in America, 1999 (Washington, DC: 1999), p. 71.
Passenger:
Air carrier:
U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Traffic
Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues).
Intercity bus and commuter rail:
Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation in America, 1999 (Washington, DC: 1999), p. 70.
Amtrak:
1970-85: Amtrak, corporate communication, Jan. 26, 1999.
1990-98: Amtrak, Amtrak FY99 Annual Report (Washington, DC), statistical appendix, p. III.