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Today, Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) released traffic data for December and the fourth quarter showing carloads increased during both periods for the company’s North American and Australian operations.

In December, North American carloads totaling 62,471 units rose 16.1 percent compared with December 2004. Excluding carloads from recently acquired railroads, GWI’s monthly traffic dipped 1.6 percent primarily because of reduced farm and food product moves, and service disruptions in Mexico caused by Hurricane Stan.

Last month, Australian Rail Group (ARG)— which is half owned by GWI — increased traffic 3.5 percent to 83,681 carloads compared with December 2004. The subsidiary registered a significant gain in iron ore moves, which account for a quarter of the railroad’s traffic.

During the fourth quarter, GWI’s North American carloads totaled 192,505 units, an 18.2 percent increase compared with the same 2004 period. However, excluding carloads from recently acquired railroads, the company’s quarterly carloads fell 1.8 percent because of reduced farm and food product traffic and the hurricane in Mexico.

ARG’s quarterly carloads totaling 239,963 units decreased 1.5 percent compared with the same 2004 period primarily because of soft grain traffic.