Industry Trends
Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) is one of America's leading transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad, is the largest railroad in North America, covering 23 states across two-thirds of the United States.
The primary long-term trend in commercial transportation is the ongoing improvement of speed, service, flexibility, and area served, with costs declining as a proportion of the value of delivered goods. Shipments that, hundreds of years …show more content…
This quarterly calculation, issued by the Association of American Railroads, an industry trade group, measures total industry shipment weight times the average length of haul. It is the best measure of rail freight movement. Standard & Poor's estimates that ton-miles rose 2.2% in 2005. For 2004, US Class I railroad ton-miles increased 7.2% to 1.663 trillion ton-miles; for 2003, volume rose 2.9% to 1.551 trillion ton-miles. Originated tonnage. Originated tonnage is another measure supplied by the Association of American Railroads. It is the total volume handled by freight railroads. Standard & Poor's estimates that originated tonnage rose to 1.88 billion tons in 2005. Class I railroads originated 1.844 billion tons in 2004, up from 1.80 billion tons in 2003, 1.77 billion tons in 2002, and 1.74 billion tons in both 2000 and 2001. Because the growth rate for ton-miles (measuring both distance and volume) has outstripped that for originated tons, it is apparent that rail traffic growth has come primarily from hauling freight longer distances. Chief Executive Office Union Pacific Main Office1400 Douglas Stomata, NE 68179 James R. Young, President, CEO, and Director; Chairman and CEO, Union Pacific Railroad Top Competitors Burlington Northern Santa Fe/CSX/ Norfolk Southern Scoop of