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Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – Railroads are reporting record increases in the shipments they carry in a sign the United States economic recovery is picking up steam.

Railroads carried 7.3 percent more carload shipments last year compared with one year earlier, according to quarterly reports they announced in recent days.

So far this year, the volume of their shipments is running about 10 percent higher than the same time last year.

“Monthly rail traffic increases were broad based, supporting the idea that economic recovery likewise is broad based,” said Association of American Railroads Vice President John T. Gray.

At the same time, the nation’s gross domestic product reached levels last year not seen since before the recession began three years ago, the Commerce Department reported.

President Barack Obama recognized the importance of railroads as an economic engine in his Jan. 25 State of the Union Address when he said:

“America is the nation that built the transcontinental railroad, brought electricity to rural communities, constructed the Interstate Highway System. The jobs created by these projects didn’t just come from laying down track or pavement. They came from businesses that opened near a town’s new train station or the new off-ramp.”

Leading the way in the railroad industry was Union Pacific Railroad, which reported net income of $2.8 billion in 2010, a record in its more than century of operation.

CSX Corp., which reported a record 48 percent growth in year-over-year earnings, recently announced plans to invest $2 billion in its business and infrastructure this year.

CSX Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Ward described the investment as a bet that the U.S. economic recovery will continue.

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