(The Associated Press circulated the following on August 13.)
GREENWICH, Conn. — Regional freight railroad operator Genesee & Wyoming Inc. said Wednesday its traffic fell 3 percent last month, mostly due to lower farm and food product shipments in Australia and Canada.
The railroad’s traffic from continuing operations fell to 68,245 carloads last month, from 70,585 carloads in July of last year.
Shipments of farm and food products fell 10 percent to 5,503 carloads in July. Lumber and forest products carloads slipped 12 percent from a year earlier and mineral and stone shipments fell 9 percent.
Genesee & Wyoming’s same railroad traffic, or traffic at rail lines running at least a year, fell 9.7 percent.
The Maryland Midland Railway, which Genesee & Wyoming started operating in January, and CAGY Industries Inc., which it started in May of last year, shipped a combined 4,538 carloads in July 2008.