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Yesterday, Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) reported March carloads totaling 74,923 units, a 6.9 percent increase compared with March 2009 volume.

The gain primarily was driven by metals traffic — especially increased steel shipments in GWI’s New York/Ohio/Pennsylvania and Southern regions — and farm and food products traffic, including higher grain volumes in the Australia Region.

In the first quarter, GWI’s traffic totaling 202,368 carloads declined 4 percent compared with first-quarter 2009 volume. The company — which owns and operates 62 regionals and short lines in the United States, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands — registered the biggest drops in coal, coke and ores, pulp and paper, and farm and food products traffic.

Meanwhile, RailAmerica Inc. today reported March carloads totaling 75,295 units, up 8.7 percent year over year. The owner of 40 U.S. and Canadian small railroads registered increases in six of 12 commodity groups, with agricultural product, chemical, metallic ore and metal shipments driving the traffic gain.

Overall, U.S. and Canadian small railroads boosted their carloads 3.9 percent to 1.2 million units through 2010’s first 13 weeks compared with volume from the same 2009 period, according to RMI’s latest “RailConnect Index of Short Line Traffic.” The index, which is based on data from 339 regionals and short lines, shows ores traffic skyrocketed 150.6 percent to 46,709 units while metals and metal products traffic jumped 19.1 percent to 99,840 units, grain traffic rose 15 percent to 176,220 units, and motor vehicles and equipment traffic increased 12.3 percent to 12,966 units.