Table 1-38: Average Length of Haul, Domestic Freight and Passenger Modes
(Miles)
| 1960 | 1965 | 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freight | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Air carrier | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | 1,307 | 1,496 | 1,478 | 1,580 | 1,555 | 1,441 | 1,115 | 1,105 | 1,055 | 1,077 | 720 | 1,204 | (R) 1,197 | (R) 1,241 | 1,218 | 1,218 | 1,220 | (R) 1,246 | 1,161 |
| Class I rail | 461 | 503 | 515 | 541 | 616 | 665 | 726 | 751 | 763 | 794 | 817 | 843 | 842 | 851 | 835 | 835 | 843 | 858 | 853 | 862 | 902 | 893 | 906 | 913 | 919 | 918 |
| Coastwise (water) | 1,496 | 1,501 | 1,509 | 1,362 | 1,915 | 1,972 | 1,605 | 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 | 1,233 | 1,126 | 1,108 | 1,116 | 1,170 |
| Lakewise (water) | 522 | 494 | 506 | 530 | 536 | 524 | 553 | 535 | 519 | 514 | 508 | 514 | 508 | 507 | 505 | 501 | 506 | 509 | 529 | 529 | 538 | 540 | 548 | 543 | 556 | 530 |
| Internal (water) | 282 | 297 | 330 | 358 | 405 | 435 | 470 | 483 | 479 | 467 | 482 | 494 | 477 | 466 | 472 | 488 | 481 | 476 | 483 | 457 | 454 | 440 | 446 | 437 | 443 | 469 |
| Intraport (water) | U | U | U | 16 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 24 |
| Crude (oil pipeline) | 325 | 320 | 300 | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U |
| Petroleum products (oil pipeline) | 269 | 335 | 357 | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | 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 | (R) 834 | (R) 845 | (R) 851 | (R) 845 | 862 | (R) 866 | (R) 873 | (R) 872 | (R) 872 | 872 |
| Commuter rail | U | U | U | U | 23 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 24 |
| Amtraka | N | N | N | 236 | 216 | 231 | 273 | 285 | 286 | 280 | 279 | 268 | 256 | 256 | 251 | 248 | 244 | 237 | 234 | 231 | 219 | 215 | 220 | 218 | 215 | 217 |
KEY: N = data do not exist; R = revised; U = data are unavailable.
a Amtrak began operations in 1971. Data are reported for fiscal years.
NOTES
Average length of haul for freight is calculated by dividing ton-miles 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 and Amtrak it is calculated by dividing passenger-miles by number of passengers.
Eno Transportation Foundation has discontinued some data series years prior to 1990.
SOURCES
Freight:
Air carrier:
1991-2001: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Freight Summary Data (U.S. Carriers), special tabulation, available at http://www.transtats.bts.gov/rtm91_02.htm as of Aug. 18, 2011.
2002: Ibid., TranStats Database, T-100 Market Data, special tabulation, Mar. 18, 2010.
2003-09: Ibid., Air Cargo Summary Data (All U.S. Carriers), special tabulation, available at http://www.transtats.bts.gov/freight.asp as of July 20, 2011.
Class I rail:
Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), pp. 27, 28, 36, and similar pages in previous editions.
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, available at http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/wcsc.htm as of July 18, 2011.
Oil pipeline:
1960-70: Transportation Policy Associates, Washington, DC, personal communication.
Passenger:
Air carrier:
1960-99: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Traffic Statistics, T-100 Segment Data (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), p. 3 and similar pages in previous issues.
2000-09: Ibid., TranStats Database, T-100 Market Data and T-100 Segment Data, special tabulation, July 18, 2011.
Commuter Rail:
1980-95: American Public Transportation Association, Public Transportation Fact Book, Appendix A: Historical Tables (Washington, DC: April 2011), table 3, available at http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Pages/transitstats.aspx as of Aug. 18, 2011.
1996-2009: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table 19 and similar tables in earlier editions, available at http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/data.htm as of July 18, 2011.
Amtrak:
1970-85: Amtrak, personal communication, Jan. 26, 1999.
1990-2002: Amtrak, Amtrak Annual Report (Washington, DC: 2003), Statistical Appendix.
2003-09: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), p. 77 and similar pages in previous editions.