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

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

(Miles)

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	1960	1965	1970	1975	1980	1985	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Freight
Air carrier	953	943	1,014	1,082	1,052	1,157	1,389	1,346	1,391	1,347	1,221	1,160	1,181	1,077	1,078	1,001	982	973	U	U	U	U
Truck^a	272	259	263	286	363	366	391	398	410	407	392	416	426	435	442	458	473	485	U	U	U	U
Class I rail	461	503	515	541	616	665	726	751	763	794	817	843	842	851	835	835	843	859	853	862	902	U
Coastwise (water)	1,496	1,501	1,509	1,362	1,915	1,972	1,604	1,705	1,762	1,650	1,652	1,652	1,526	1,330	1,261	1,279	1,251	1,228	1,219	1,248	1,269	U
Lakewise (water)	522	494	506	530	536	524	553	535	519	514	508	514	508	507	505	501	506	509	529	530	538	U
Internal (water)	282	297	330	358	405	435	468	483	479	468	482	494	477	466	472	488	481	476	483	457	454	U
Intraport (water)	U	U	U	16	17	15	13	13	12	12	16	16	17	15	15	15	16	15	15	15	16	U
Crude (oil pipeline)	325	320	300	633	871	777	812	822	830	790	778	797	779	781	767	766	U	U	U	U	U	U
Petroleum products (oil pipeline)	269	335	357	516	414	391	387	379	379	406	414	402	413	413	420	418	U	U	U	U	U	U
Passenger
Air carrier, domestic, scheduled	583	614	678	698	736	758	803	806	806	799	787	791	802	817	812	824	833	842	850	(R) 858	857	874
Bus, intercity	79	94	106	113	125	121	141	143	136	138	138	140	143	144	144	143	143	U	U	U	U	U
Commuter rail	21	21	22	23	23	24	22	23	23	22	21	24	24	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	U
Amtrak^b	N	N	N	236	216	231	273	285	286	280	279	268	256	256	251	248	244	237	234	231	219	U

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

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 2005 (Washington, DC: 2005), 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).

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.

2001-04: 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.

2003-04: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts 2005 (Washington, DC: 2004), p. 77 and similar pages in earlier editions.

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