RTA: Crosstie production, purchases rose in February

In February, crosstie production rose 9.4 percent to 1.4 million units and purchases soared 15.7 percent to 1.8 million units from January levels, according to the Railway Tie Association's (RTA) monthly report.

However, compared with year-ago levels, production in February fell 21.6 percent, while purchases skyrocketed 49.3 percent.

For the first two months of this year, production dropped 27.1 percent to 2.69 million units, while purchases climbed 35.4 percent to 3.4 million units compared with the same period in 2017.

"Purchases are in an upward trend at a 5 percent annual rate," RTA officials stated in the report. "Production is trending lower and is down by a 26.3 percent annual rate."