Sources: Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc., Denver; CP staff
Rocla has commenced production at a Ft. Pierce, Fla., operation equipped for up to 1,000 prestressed concrete railroad ties per day. Opened on schedule along the Florida East Coast Railway (FECR) rail network, the facility “is considered to be the most technologically advanced in the country,” notes Rocla Vice President–Business Development Brett Urquhart.
The producer deploys its newest fabrication and handling technology at the operation, allowing a smaller building and site layout, according to Vice President–Engineering Rusty Croley. The Ft. Pierce location, he adds, “enables us to start supplying product locally, which was important to our customers and employees.”
The plant will primarily serve the FEC Railway and Brightline passenger rail project under construction, and affords Rocla capacity to serve other major Southeast rail networks. The new facility, which broke ground in September, was fast-tracked in order to cover Brightline tie deliveries.
“The location was chosen in order to provide a centralized facility to support ongoing projects, but we are also excited to reach other key rail networks, including CSX and Norfolk Southern, through FECR’s Jacksonville interchange. This will allow us to utilize our new facility for projects beyond the Florida market,” Urquhart affirms.
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