Little Rock Port Authority sees near record rail activity for January
Little Rock Port Authority Reports January Shipping
Port sees near record rail activity for month
Strong rail and barge activity in January got the Port of Little Rock off to a good start for the new year. NLR received a 105-car unit train loaded with ethanol, and Welspun shipped nearly 600 loads. Logistics Services, Inc. (LSI), the Port’s stevedore, continues to grow rail operations with loading/unloading hopper, center beam and open top gondola cars.
The Port had its second-highest month for miscellaneous switching with 136 cars moved from storage tracks and delivered to customers. This was only seven cars short of the record of 143 cars (January 2019). And in January, a total of 1,061 cars were switched and invoiced.
The port’s docks had strong activity this month with 41 barges worked. More than 63,000 net tons were loaded or unloaded from barges during the month and carried the following commodities: aluminum tees, DAP, nepheline syenite, rock and sand, scrap, steel coils, urea and wet cake.
During the month, 29 barges were worked in the slackwater harbor and 12 in the river terminal. Activity across the terminal yard was busy as LSI transloaded railcars of forest products and managed packaging operations. Warehouse operations remained busy; LSI has remained near capacity with limited inside storage available.
“February is forecasted to be slower on the docks, but LSI expects increased terminal activity,” said Bryan Day, executive director of the Little Rock Port Authority. Day continued, “we will continue to monitor the flooding to along the Mississippi, Tennessee and Pearl Rivers. It’s important to remain vigilant in our work to strengthen the MKARNS and to improve infrastructure along our inland waterways system.”
About the Little Rock Port
Established in 1959, the Port of Little Rock drives economic development by providing a world-class transportation hub that connects Arkansas to the global economy. Under the leadership of the Little Rock Port Authority, the Port is a unique intermodal transportation center featuring a 2,640-acre industrial park, two full-service river terminals, its own switching railroad and a slackwater harbor on the 448-mile McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. The Port is designated as a U.S. Customs Point of Entry and Foreign Trade Zone 14.