Representatives of the St. Louis, Mo., region’s world-class multimodal freight network and the barge industry were featured panelists last week at FreightWeekSTL 2024 and shared details on the latest trends in freight movement through the region by rail, river, roads and runways. The panelists also highlighted the continuing investments supporting the tremendous optionality that exists in the bi-state St. Louis area for shippers charting the course for their logistics.
Martin Hettel, vice president of Government Affairs at American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL), talked about the latest data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that shows the St. Louis region’s inland port system is a leader in moving inbound and outbound agricultural products, while also handling large volumes of other diverse cargo. He said the Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources revealed there are 67 different commodities destined for or originating from this area. The most recent tonnage figures reveal the inbound tonnage is approximately 7.1 million, with fertilizer being the leading tonnage accounting for 2.5 million tons. The outbound tonnage, at about 39.3 million, is led by grain, which is about 15 million tons.
