U.S. chemical railcar loads hit all-time high

(Courtesy BASF)

There are some signs that pressures might be abating for the U.S. chemical industry. Recent rail traffic data released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reveals that railcar loads of chemicals recently hit an all-time high, reports Powder & Bulk Solids.

John T. Gray, senior vice president for policy and economics with ARR, called March “the best month ever for carloads of chemicals” in a release announcing the figures. According to the release, 35,582 cars were loaded with chemicals over the last 13 weeks, a record figure since the AAR started monitoring the 13-week moving average of chemical railcar loads in the mid-1980s.

Of that,18,291 carloads of chemicals were logged in March, representing a 11.7% jump from the same month in 2021. Read the entire story.