Table 1-38M: Average Length of Haul, Domestic Freight and Passenger Modes
(Kilometers)
| 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 | (R) 2,104 | (R) 2,408 | (R) 2,379 | (R) 2,542 | (R) 2,502 | (R) 2,319 | (R) 1,795 | (R) 1,778 | (R) 1,697 | (R) 1,733 | (R) 1,158 | 1,938 | (R) 1,927 | (R) 1,997 | 1,961 | 1,960 | 1,963 | (R) 2,005 | 1,869 |
| 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 | 1,451 | 1,438 | 1,457 | 1,469 | 1,479 | 1,478 |
| Coastwise (water) | 2,408 | 2,416 | 2,429 | 2,192 | 3,082 | 3,174 | 2,582 | 2,744 | 2,835 | 2,656 | 2,659 | 2,658 | 2,456 | 2,140 | 2,030 | 2,059 | 2,013 | 1,976 | 1,961 | 2,008 | 2,042 | 1,984 | 1,812 | 1,783 | 1,796 | 1,884 |
| Lakewise (water) | 840 | 795 | 814 | 853 | 863 | 843 | 890 | 861 | 836 | 827 | 817 | 828 | 817 | 815 | 812 | 806 | 814 | 818 | 851 | 852 | 867 | 869 | 882 | 874 | 895 | 853 |
| Internal (water) | 454 | 478 | 531 | 576 | 652 | 700 | 756 | 777 | 771 | 752 | 775 | 795 | 768 | 750 | 759 | 785 | 775 | 766 | 777 | 735 | 730 | 708 | 717 | 703 | 714 | 755 |
| Intraport (water) | U | U | U | 26 | 27 | 24 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 38 |
| Crude (oil pipeline) | 523 | 515 | 483 | 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) | 433 | 539 | 575 | 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 | 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 | (R) 1,342 | (R) 1,359 | (R) 1,370 | 1,359 | (R) 1,387 | (R) 1,394 | (R) 1,404 | (R) 1,404 | 1,403 | 1,403 |
| Commuter rail | U | U | U | U | 37 | 38 | 35 | 37 | 37 | 35 | (R) 38 | 39 | 38 | 36 | 37 | 36 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 38 | 38 | 36 | 38 | 39 | 38 | 39 |
| Amtraka | N | N | N | 380 | 348 | 372 | 439 | 459 | 460 | 451 | 449 | 431 | 412 | 412 | 404 | 399 | 393 | 381 | 376 | 372 | 352 | 345 | 355 | 351 | 346 | 349 |
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.
1.609344 kilometers = 1 mile.
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: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, 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.