Class I

The Cowen and Company analysts reported that Kansas City Southern “again” received the highest “positive” rating, followed by BNSF in their 4Q Rail Shipper Survey.

Cowen 4Q20 Surveys: Rail Pricing, Car Orders Up Slightly, Say Shippers

Rail shippers in fourth-quarter 2020 expected price increases of 3.2% (up 10bps sequentially), and their sub-group of railcar buyers raised order expectations modestly, according to two surveys conducted by Cowen and Company analysts Jason H. Seidl (Managing Director and Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor), Matt Elkott and Elliot Alper.

Between now and 2039, nearly $13 trillion will be needed for rail, transit, highways, bridges, drinking water, stormwater, wastewater, electricity, airports, seaports and inland waterways. But if the U.S. keeps pace with planned spending—currently totaling $7.3 trillion—it will face a $5.6 trillion investment gap by 2039, the ASCE report found.

ASCE: ‘Close the Infrastructure Investment Gap’

Inadequate U.S. infrastructure improvements could lead to a decline of more than $23 trillion in business productivity and a loss of $10.3 trillion in GDP over the next two decades, according to a recently released American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) economic study.

AAR: Intermodal Double-Digit Gains Continue

For the week ending Jan. 9, 2021, total U.S. rail traffic was 525,253 carloads and intermodal units—up 4.7% from the comparable week of 2020, ending Jan. 11—based on a double-digit intermodal gain, according to an Association of American Railroads (AAR) Jan. 13 report. Total carloads of 235,404 fell 1.6% vs. the comparable week in 2020, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume of 289,849 containers and trailers rose 10.4% vs. 2020.

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