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In February, the Transportation Services Index (TSI) fell 1 percent to 128.4 after the January index posted the biggest one-month gain 1.9 percent) since July 1997, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

However, the February TSI rose 4.5 percent compared with February 2004 and 30.5 percent compared with February 1996 (the index’s base year).

The February Freight TSI of 129.5 dropped 1 percent compared with January but rose 4.5 percent compared with February 2004. The month’s Passenger TSI of 126.1 also declined 1 percent compared with January but increased 4.4 percent compared with February 2004.

During a six-month period ending in February, the TSI, Freight TSI and Passenger TSI rose 2.3 percent, 2.5 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively, compared with the previous six-month period, BTS said.

The TSI is a measure of month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by for-hire transportation industries, including railroad, air, truck, inland waterways, pipelines and local transit. The index includes historic data from 1990 to the present; changes are measured against a base year of 1996.