Acquisitions boost G&W's North American traffic

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) posted a 2.8 percent increase in its North American carload traffic in the second quarter and a 3.3 percent increase in June compared with the same periods a year ago.

Last month, G&W's North American operations hauled 135,654 carloads compared with 131,338 in June 2016. The activity included carloads from the Providence and Worcester Railroad Co. (P&W) acquisition, which closed Nov. 1, 2016, and the Heart of Georgia Railroad Inc. (HOG) acquisition, which closed May 31, according to a G&W press release.

On a same-railroad basis, North American traffic decreased 0.1 percent last month. The new railroads' carload activity amounted to 4,489 units. Minerals and stone increased 804 carloads, or 4.5 percent, primarily due to increased shipments of construction aggregates in G&W's Central Region. All remaining traffic fell by a net 977 carloads.

By commodity during Q2 2017 compared with last year, G&W's North American railroads logged increases in agriculture (7.3 percent); autos and auto parts (12.7 percent); coal and coke (0.6 percent); food (2.5 percent); lumber (3.1 percent); minerals and stone (9.4 percent); waste (24.9 percent); and other (2.8 percent).

The company recorded decreases in chemicals and plastics (0.1 percent); metallic ores (30.6 percent); metals (3.3 percent); petroleum products (6.1 percent); and paper (3.2 percent).