Industrial Minerals


US railroads feel frac sand’s weight

06 January 2012

by Jack Elliott

Frac sand producing states ill-equipped; traffic triples on short line railroads

Keywords: frac sand, rail, Pro Sands, Sweco, fracking, gas extraction

An increase in frac sand transportation has put pressure on the US rail system, particularly in frac sand-producing states, as the industry struggles to keep pace with demand, market sources told IM.

A surge in oil and gas exploration has driven a year of unprecedented growth in the frac sand industry throughout 2011, but logistics have...