Weekly U.S. Rail Loadings Fall

WASHINGTON - Apr 6/06 - SNS -- The number of carloads of grains and oilseeds delivered to U.S. ports for the week ending March 29 dropped, according to the USDA's Transportation and Marketing Programs/Transportation Services Branch weekly Grain Transportation Report.

Total carloads delivered to major port areas during the week totalled 8,955, down from 10,644 the previous week. This lifted calendar year to date deliveries to 129,875 cars, up 4% from the 124,719 cars unloaded during the same period last year.

In its latest weekly transportation review, the USDA also noted that the cost of shipping wheat from North Dakota and Kansas to Japan increased during the fourth quarter 2005, mainly because of increases in ocean rates and truck rates during this period.

"Transportation costs from Kansas to Japan through the PNW increased more than 5%. However, the cost to ship from North Dakota to Japan through the Pacific Northwest (PNW) decreased slightly due to a drop in rail rates. The cost of shipping from Kansas to Japan through the U.S," the USDA said.

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