Crushed stone, sand and gravel rail traffic up in May 2018

By |  June 8, 2018

Rail cardloads of aggregate were up in May 2018. Photo courtesy of Lehigh Hanson

U.S. railroad carloads of crushed stone, sand and gravel were up 13.7 percent in May 2018, according to the American Association of Railroads (AAR).

As a category, crushed stone, sand and gravel produced 16,811 more carloads this May compared with May of a year ago.

U.S. railroads originated 1.31 million carloads in May 2018, up 3.2 percent or 41,078 carloads, from May 2017.

“In May, U.S. rail carloads were higher in 15 of the 20 carload commodity categories the AAR tracks, including nearly all of the major ones,” says John Gray, AAR senior vice president of policy and economics. “In addition, intermodal volume in May was the second highest for any month in history. Right now, the economy is clicking, and railroads are both beneficiaries and enablers of that.”

One potential cloud on the horizon for railroads involves trade, Gray adds.

“Freight railroads are essential to the flow of goods and rely on sensible trade policy,” he says. “We’re hopeful that federal policymakers will recognize that an unnecessary trade war would do far more harm than good.”

Total U.S. carload traffic for the first five months of 2018 was 5.67 million carloads, up 1.2 percent or 66,071 carloads, from the same period last year.

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Kevin Yanik

About the Author:

Kevin Yanik is editor-in-chief of Pit & Quarry. He can be reached at 216-706-3724 or kyanik@northcoastmedia.net.

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