Aggregates portrayed as freight rail opportunity

At a meeting hosted by the United States Surface Transportation Board (STB), a railway executive described how his short line rail firm has cultivated a 700 percent growth rate in the past two decades for rail shipments of crushed rock, gravel and other aggregates.

During the September presentation, New York & Atlantic Railway (NYA) President Marlon Taylor credited rail and shipper collaboration in and near the Long Island region of New York for reducing truck traffic in the congested area by boosting freight rail access and shipments.

Taylor told the STB his firm’s partnership with the Massachusetts-based Providence & Worcester Railroad (P&W) has allowed aggregate rail traffic between the two lines to grow by some 700 percent since the partnership was first explored in 2000.

The program is of interest to the STB because its board members say they recognize “that some shifts in volume [away from rail] may not be primarily within the control of rail carriers, [but] the board has observed that over the past 10 years carload volumes have not grown and have, in fact, decreased.”

Taylor said short line railroads can offer a “substantial and flexible” alternative for moving products such as the aggregates being shipped into Long Island by NYA and P&W.

The 7,000 rail carloads of aggregates moved by the two railroads in 2023 are estimated to have kept more than 20,000 truckloads off regional streets and highways.

Aggregates shipped include crushed rock, gravel and sand and customers identified during the testimony include Connecticut-based Rawson Materials and New York-based Tilcon.

The rail lines have attracted business as the result of “personalized, adaptable service to meet the specific requirements of these customers,” Taylor testified.

“Through their long-standing partnership and continued innovation, NYA and P&W offer comprehensive logistics solutions that enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs and strengthen the entire supply chain in the NYC region,” added Taylor.                                                                                                                             

The ongoing involvement of NYA and P&W in aggregate shipments underscores their lasting impact on the rail industry and their critical role in supporting the infrastructure needs of one of the world’s largest urban markets.

NYA, which began operating in 1997, says the freight rail service it offers on lines owned by passenger service Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) help “remove over 120,000 heavy truck trips from the roads and highways” of metropolitan New York. The short line is one of six railroads that comprise Chicago-based Anacostia Rail Holdings.