The size of the North American revenue-earning freight railcar fleet continued its growth in 2013 and has nearly recovered to its 2009 population level. That's one observation in Railinc's annual North American Freight Railcar Review, presented at the Rail Equipment Finance Conference in La Quinta, Calif.
The 2014 review provides a snapshot of the North American revenue-earning fleet over the previous calendar year and includes statistics and overall trends from Railinc's Umler® system.
"In the last year, two of the four largest sub-fleets—tank cars and flat cars—grew, while the largest sub-fleet, covered hoppers, was unchanged from the previous year," said David Humphrey, Railinc senior analyst. The other sub-fleets in the North American revenue-earning fleet are gondolas, box cars and hopper cars.
Among the review's other findings were that:
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The size of the North American revenue-earning fleet increased in 2013 by 0.9 percent or 14,000 railcars.
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The tank car population grew by 7.6 percent over the previous year, driving growth in the revenue-earning fleet.
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The trend of GRL 286 cars predominating among new additions to the North American revenue-earning fleet continued in 2013.
The North American Freight Railcar Review 2014 contains these details and more, including full-color charts. The review is available for free download here. All data included in the report were compiled from Railinc's Umler system and represent the period from Jan. 1, 2013, through Dec. 31, 2013.
Sponsored by Railroad Financial Corporation, the Rail Equipment Finance Conference brings together North America’s top rail finance and rail equipment professionals, who provide an exclusive look at critical industry issues. Railinc’s annual freight railcar review has been one of the most anticipated presentations at the conference for more than a decade.