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RailAmerica Inc.'s October carloads continued a year-long good news, bad news trend. Total carloads increased 16.1 percent to 128,506, but "same-railroad" carloads (excluding former StatesRail and ParkSierra properties acquired late last year) dropped 2.6 percent to 105,836 compared with October 2001.


In North America, the holding company's railroads increased monthly carloads 25.9 percent to 101,343 by moving more petroleum, mineral, automotive and chemical traffic to offset drought-affected Canadian grain traffic.


However, RailAmerica's carload traffic was flat in Chile last month, while an Australian drought softened grain traffic, resulting in Freight Australia moving 15.4 percent fewer total carloads compared with last year. In all, international carloads dipped 10.1 percent in October.


Through 2002's first 10 months, RailAmerica moved 16.9 percent more total carloads, but 1.5 percent fewer same-railroad carloads compared with last year.