RTA: Crosstie production up, purchases down in August

Crosstie production in August increased 4.6 percent to 2.5 million units and purchases decreased 12.8 percent to 2 million units compared with July levels, according to the Railway Tie Association (RTA).

But compared with year-ago levels, production in August 2015 soared 38.1 percent and purchases climbed 18.4 percent. Production through the first eight months of 2015 jumped 32.9 percent and purchases rose 5.6 percent compared with the same period in 2014, RTA officials said in their August market report.

A nine-month decline in purchases since July 2014 has switched to an upswing, however purchases were still down at a minus-1.2 percent annual rate, the report stated. After a long decline since March 2012, production stabilized in 2014, and through eight months has been on the rise in 2015 by 23.5 percent from the year-ago level.