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Yesterday, Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) reported February carloads totaling 72,245, down 0.6 percent compared with February 2011. Same-railroad traffic declined 2.7 percent.

Coal and coke carloads dropped 39.7 percent to 9,366, “other” traffic decreased 39.2 percent to 3,638, and auto and auto parts carloads declined 10.1 percent to 792. Coal and coke traffic primarily fell in GWI’s Illinois, Mountain West, New York/Pennsylvania and Ohio regions, while other traffic mostly was impacted by lower overhead coal shipments in the Ohio Region.

Commodity groups that posted gains in February include metals, up 34.7 percent to 8,961 loads; intermodal, up 29.7 percent to 4,685 loads; chemicals and plastics, up 24.5 percent to 5,354 loads; and metallic ores, up 18.8 percent to 2,332 loads. Beginning Jan. 1, a portion of GWI’s metallic ores traffic includes intermodal containers as a result of a change in rail logistics and equipment for a customer in the Australia Region. The change increased traffic in the category by 532 carloads in February.

GWI owns 65 regionals and short lines operating in the United States, Australia, Canada, Netherlands and Belgium.