This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
2/9/2021
Brookhaven Rail Terminal (BRT) so far in 2021 is experiencing trends that parallel the commodity demands from the start of COVID-19 pandemic a year ago, officials with the intermodal facility in Yaphank, New York, announced yesterday.
Two types of cargo transported by rail were "off the charts" in spring 2020 when economy went into free fall: construction materials and flour. That trend revealed a demand by Long Islanders to invest in their homes and consume comfort food, BRT President Andrew Kaufman said in a press release.
"Today we are seeing this repeated in what is being brought in by rail to our intermodal facility," he said.
"It shouldn't come as a surprise that plywood, framing lumber, cement, and roofing shingles were among the most significant construction materials brought in by train during 2020," Kaufman said. "That demand has not abated and in the first month of 2021 we are seeing a continued surge in the transport of these commodities to the Island, which suggests that this year will see similar market demands."
The BRT is also handling a significant increase in flour destined for bakeries throughout New York's Nassau and Suffolk counties.