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In March, the Transportation Services Index (TSI) of 129.9 rose 1.2 percent compared with February — the fourth increase during the six previous months, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). The February TSI had fallen 1 percent to 128.4 after the January index posted the biggest one-month gain (1.9 percent) since July 1997.

The March index also rose 5.0 percent and 30.6 percent compared with March 2004 and March 1996 (the TSI’s base year), respectively.

The montly Freight TSI of 130.2 increased 0.5 percent compared with February and 4 percent compared with March 2004. March’s Passenger TSI of 129.9 rose 3 percent compared with February and 7.7 percent compared with March 2004.

During a six-month period ending in March, the TSI, Freight TSI and Passenger TSI increased 3.1 percent, 2.6 percent and 4.4 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.