Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

News Digest: January 10, 2017

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

BTS Releases Transportation Economic Trends Report - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has released Transportation Economic Trends, BTS’s first stand-alone volume on transportation and the economy. The 94-page report uses a variety of data series to highlight relevant trends and explain related measurement concepts. The topics covered in the report are the Transportation Services Index, a monthly summary of freight and passenger movement; what transportation contributes to the American economy; the costs that households and businesses pay for transportation; transportation-related employment; trends in transportation productivity; household spending on transportation goods and services; government transportation spending and revenue; and the value of transportation. The report will be regularly updated on the BTS website. The print version can be obtained by contacting BTS at 202-366-DATA or by e-mail at answers@dot.gov. Media contact Dave Smallen: 202-366-5568, david.smallen@dot.gov.

BTS Releases 30-Year Ton-Mile Projections - The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have released freight projections that show that ton-miles on the U.S. transportation system will grow by about half (49 percent) in the next three decades. Version 4.3 of the Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) projects that the transportation system will carry 7.6 trillion ton-miles in 2045, up from 5.1 trillion ton-miles in 2015. A ton-mile is the movement of one ton of freight for one mile. Version 4.3 is the first release of ton-mile numbers from the updated FAF series using the base year of 2012. Projections for freight value and tonnage were released last March. FAF data are available for the base year of 2012, the recent years of 2013-2015, and forecasts from 2020 through 2045 in 5-year intervals. The FAF Data Tabulation Tool allows users to create and download customized FAF4 summary tables.