November 28, 2023 - A new rail yard at the Miami, Ariz., smelter will relieve congestion and improve efficiency at the site that is the logistics hub of the company’s operations in the southwestern United States.

The recently completed Kiser yard east of the smelter provides the ability to move cars around so they can be stored or assembled for shipment without tying up the rail line to the site, said Travis Holder, Senior Supervisor, Smelter Transportation–Miami. The $2.5 million project includes three parallel tracks, the main siding and two additional spurs, with the capacity to store about 100 cars, depending on their size. In all, more than a mile of new track was added for the project.

Before completion of the new rail yard, Miami had almost no ability to move cars around or take them off the main tracks to await loading or unloading, said Mark Albertsen, General Manager.

About 80 train cars move through Miami daily, with inbound and outbound traffic moving on alternate days. Copper concentrate is shipped in by train from Sierrita and Morenci in southern Arizona, and Chino in southern New Mexico for processing into anode. Aside from the copper concentrate, the trains bring empty box cars that get loaded with anode produced at the smelter that is shipped to the company’s refinery in El Paso, Texas. That’s not counting truck traffic or other products shipped by rail.

Beyond the logistical benefits, the new yard allows train traffic to go around the Miami area rather than through town as it has in the past, which required temporary street closures that disrupted traffic.

“It’s really helping our capacity, and our efficiencies are going to go way up,” Holder said. “This is really big for our property.”

Photo (top right): Workers recently put the finishing touches on the Kiser rail yard in Miami.