Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Crude oil and Rail traction

Their prices have moved together.

Crude oil (energy) and Rail traction (energy): 1 relationship.

How they are linked

1. Price link: diesel fuel

Cost and price · Weak · Both ways

Diesel-electric locomotives burn diesel made from crude oil, so fuel prices affect railway running costs and the case for electrification. The equipment index does not follow, with monthly moves correlating at -0.04, since fleet orders follow long plans.

  • -0.04 monthly change correlation
  • 0.01 12-month change correlation
  • -0.02 fitted elasticity

Built from the site data on production routes, energy flows, industry value chains, input-output tables and prices.