(The Associated Press circulated the following article on November 11.)
BOCA RATON, Fla. — RailAmerica Inc. reported Thursday that October North American same-railroad traffic, or operations the company has owned for a year, declined 0.1 percent to 102,855 carloads from 102,958 last year.
Excluding acquisitions from Midland subdivision, the Chicago Fort Wayne & Eastern Railroad and the Central Michigan Railroad over the year, total North American traffic rose 6.6 percent for October to 109,839 from 103,048, driven by strong food product shipments and bridge traffic that offset weak metal and agricultural and farm product shipments. The acquisitions added 6,984 carloads to October figures.
For the year to date, North American same-railroad traffic rose 3.9 percent to 979,587 carloads from 942,469, and total North American railroad rose 9.2 percent to just over 1 million carloads from 943,199 in 2003.
Shares of RailAmerica closed Thursday up 9 cents, or nearly 1 percent, to $11.50 on the New York Stock Exchange.