St Louis eyes transloading

摘要

The Leadership Council of Southwestern Illinois recently commissioned Tran-Systems and GKSF Global Research to conduct a study to help it identify and understand opportunities in freight transport. One of the key findings from the Southwestern Illinois Freight Transportation study was that the region will see rising demand for truck/rail/barge transloading services for breakbulk cargo in the future. Noting that St Louis has always had a strong presence in bulk and breakbulk, the report found that recent business development interest in St Louis focuses on commodities such as resins, soda ash, potash and frac sand (durable sand for hydraulic fracturing). This is a departure from the traditional market, which has focused on grains, fertilisers, aggregates, asphalt and coal, as well as heavy items like coils and oversized cargo that are not suitable for road transport. St Louis has always capitalised on its position below the Mississippi River lock system, enabling direct transit of commodities to New Orleans without incurring lock expenses.