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Transportation Services Index (TSI) Rose 1.2 Percent in March from February
Monday, June 6, 2005 - The Transportation Services Index (TSI) rose 1.2 percent in March to 129.9 (1996=100) from the February level of 128.4, the fourth increase in the past six months, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today (Table 1). BTS, a part of DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the March level of 129.9 for the combined freight and passenger index was 5.0 percent higher than the March 2004 level of 123.7 (Table 2). The March 2005 level was 30.6 percent higher than the March level of the base year of 1996 (Table 3). TSI is a single seasonally adjusted index of the month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by the for-hire transportation industries, including railroad, air, truck, inland waterways, pipeline, and local transit. The index includes historic data from 1990 to the present. The TSI is still under development and is considered experimental. The index measures changes from the monthly average for the base year of 1996. The next release is scheduled for July 6. Transportation Services Index for FreightThe TSI for freight rose 0.5 percent to 130.2 in March from the February level of 129.5, the fourth increase in the last six months (Table 1). The March 2005 level of 130.2 is 4.0 percent higher than the March 2004 level of 125.2 (Table 4). Transportation Services Index for PassengersThe TSI for passengers rose 3.0 percent to 129.9 in March from the February level of 126.1 (Table 1), the largest single month increase since December 2001. The March 2005 level of 129.9 is 7.7 percent higher than the March 2004 level of 120.6 (Table 5). More on TSIDuring the six months ending in March, the TSI rose 3.1 percent, the Freight TSI rose 2.6 percent and the Passenger TSI rose 4.4 percent (Table 1). Notes: TSI numbers for December 2004 (Total, Freight, and Passenger) were revised because of revisions in the output data of the component transportation services. The December TSI is 127.9, revised from 127.3 reported in the May release. The December Freight TSI is 129.2, revised from 128.4. The December Passenger TSI is 125.2, revised from 125.3. The TSI for January, February and March are preliminary. TSI revision policy: TSI is updated monthly with the latest three months' index numbers considered preliminary. Each month BTS releases the latest preliminary TSI, and replaces the oldest preliminary TSI with a revised TSI. All other revisions are held until an annual comprehensive revision of the TSI which will be released as part of the following July TSI release. More information about the revision policy is available at http://www.bts.gov/xml/tsi/src/index.xml. Table 1: Percent changes in the Transportation Services Index by Month
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| TSI | Freight | Passenger | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Index | Pct. Change | Index | Pct. Change | Index | Pct. Change | |
| September | 126.0 | 0.4 | 126.9 | 0.4 | 124.3 | 0.3 |
| October | 127.1 | 0.8 | 127.8 | 0.7 | 125.8 | 1.2 |
| November | 128.3 | 1.0 | 129.6 | 1.4 | 125.5 | -0.2 |
| DecemberR | 127.9 | -0.3 | 129.2 | -0.4 | 125.2 | -0.2 |
| JanuaryP | 129.7 | 1.4 | 130.9 | 1.3 | 127.4 | 1.7 |
| FebruaryP | 128.4 | -1.0 | 129.5 | -1.0 | 126.1 | -1.0 |
| MarchP | 129.9 | 1.2 | 130.2 | 0.5 | 129.9 | 3.0 |
SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Note: P = preliminary; R = revised
Table 2: Percent changes in the Transportation Services Index from Year-to-Year
March TSI (Monthly average of 1996 = 100)
| TSI | Percent change from previous year | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 99.5 | 0.7 |
| 1997 | 103.9 | 4.4 |
| 1998 | 110.6 | 6.5 |
| 1999 | 115.2 | 4.2 |
| 2000 | 114.7 | -0.4 |
| 2001 | 115.1 | 0.4 |
| 2002 | 112.6 | -2.2 |
| 2003 | 116.0 | 3.0 |
| 2004 | 123.7 | 6.6 |
| 2005P | 129.9 | 5.0 |
SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Note: P = preliminary
Table 3: Percent Changes in the Transportation Services Index from Previous Years to 2005
March to March
| Percent change to March 2005 | Since March . . . | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | 2004 | One Year |
| 12.0 | 2003 | Two Years |
| 15.4 | 2002 | Three Years |
| 12.8 | 2001 | Four Years |
| 13.3 | 2000 | Five Years |
| 12.8 | 1999 | Six Years |
| 17.5 | 1998 | Seven Years |
| 25.1 | 1997 | Eight Years |
| 30.6 | 1996 | Nine Years |
SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Table 4: Percent changes in the Freight Transportation Services Index from Year-to-Year
March Freight TSI (Monthly average of 1996 = 100)
| Freight TSI | Percent change from previous year | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 99.4 | -1.4 |
| 1997 | 103.8 | 4.4 |
| 1998 | 113.0 | 8.8 |
| 1999 | 117.3 | 3.8 |
| 2000 | 113.9 | -2.9 |
| 2001 | 113.6 | -0.3 |
| 2002 | 113.4 | -0.2 |
| 2003 | 118.5 | 4.5 |
| 2004 | 125.2 | 5.7 |
| 2005P | 130.2 | 4.0 |
SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Note: P = preliminary
Table 5: Percent changes in the Passenger Transportation Services Index from Year-to-Year
March Passenger TSI (Monthly average of 1996 = 100)
| Passenger TSI | Percent change from previous year | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 99.6 | 5.5 |
| 1997 | 104.0 | 4.4 |
| 1998 | 105.6 | 1.6 |
| 1999 | 110.8 | 4.9 |
| 2000 | 117.2 | 5.7 |
| 2001 | 119.5 | 2.0 |
| 2002 | 111.3 | -6.9 |
| 2003 | 110.4 | -0.7 |
| 2004 | 120.6 | 9.2 |
| 2005P | 129.9 | 7.7 |
SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Note: P = preliminary
Brief Explanation of the TSI
The Transportation Services Index (TSI) is a measure of the month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by the for-hire transportation industries.
The TSI tells us how the output of transportation services has increased or decreased from month to month. The index can be examined together with other economic indicators to produce a better understanding of the current and future course of the economy. The movement of the index over time can be compared with other economic measures to understand the relationship of changes in transportation output to changes in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The TSI is still under development and is therefore considered experimental. It is being examined for refinements in data sources, methodologies and interpretations.
The freight transportation index consists of:
For hire trucking,
Railroad freight services (including rail based intermodal shipments such as containers on flat cars),
Inland waterways transportation,
Pipeline transportation (including principally petroleum and petroleum products and natural gas), and
Air freight.
The index does not include international or coastal waterborne movements, private trucking, courier services, or the US Postal Service.
The passenger transportation index consists of:
Local transit,
Intercity passenger rail, and
Passenger air transportation.
The index does not include intercity bus, sight seeing services, ferry services, taxi service, private automobile usage, or bicycling and other non-motorized transportation.