BTS | Table 1-35M: Average Length of Haul, Domestic Freight and Passenger Modes

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Table 1-35M: 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	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Freight
Air carrier	1,534	1,518	1,632	1,741	1,693	1,862	2,235	2,166	2,239	2,168	1,965	1,867	1,901	1,733	1,735	1,611	1,580	1,566	U	U
Truck^a	438	417	423	460	584	589	629	641	660	655	631	669	686	700	711	737	761	781	U	U
Class I rail	742	810	829	870	991	1,069	1,168	1,209	1,227	1,278	1,315	1,356	1,355	1,369	1,344	1,344	1,357	1,382	1,373	1,388
Coastwise (water)	2,408	2,416	2,429	2,192	3,082	3,174	2,582	2,744	2,835	2,656	2,658	2,658	2,456	2,140	2,030	2,059	2,013	1,976	1,961	2,009
Lakewise (water)	840	795	814	853	863	843	890	861	836	827	817	827	817	815	812	806	814	818	851	852
Internal (water)	454	478	531	576	652	700	753	777	771	752	775	795	768	750	759	785	775	766	777	735
Intraport (water)	U	U	U	26	27	24	20	21	20	20	25	26	27	25	25	25	25	24	24	25
Crude (oil pipeline)	523	515	483	1,019	1,402	1,250	1,307	1,323	1,336	1,271	1,252	1,283	1,254	1,257	1,234	1,233	U	U	U	U
Petroleum products (oil pipeline)	433	539	575	830	666	629	623	610	610	653	666	647	665	665	676	673	U	U	U	U
Passenger
Air carrier, domestic, scheduled	938	988	1,091	1,123	1,184	1,220	1,292	1,297	1,297	1,286	1,267	1,273	1,291	1,315	1,307	1,326	1,340	1,356	1,368	1,355
Bus, intercity	127	151	171	182	201	195	227	230	219	222	222	225	230	232	232	230	230	U	U	U
Commuter rail	33	34	36	37	37	38	35	37	37	35	34	39	39	37	37	37	37	37	37	38
Amtrak^b	N	N	N	380	348	372	439	459	460	451	449	431	412	412	404	399	393	381	376	372

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

^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.

NOTES

Average length of haul for freight is calculated by dividing ton-miles in table 1-46 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. These numbers were then converted to kilometers.

1.609344 kilometers = 1 mile.

SOURCES

Freight:

Air carrier, truck:

Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation In America, 2002 (Washington, DC: 2002), p. 65.

Class I rail:

Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: 2004), 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.

1975-99: Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation in America, 2002 (Washington, DC: 2002), p. 65.

Passenger:

Air carrier:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Traffic Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), p. 3, line 34.

Intercity bus:

Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation in America, 2002 (Washington, DC: 2002), p. 64.

Commuter Rail:

1960-2000: Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation in America, 2002 (Washington, DC: 2002), p. 64.

2001-03: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table 19 and similar tables in earlier editions.

Amtrak:

1970-85: Amtrak, corporate communication, Jan. 26, 1999.

1990-2002: Amtrak, Amtrak Annual Report (Washington, DC: 2003), Statistical Appendix.

2003: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: 2004), p. 77.