ARCI: 3Q23 Freight Car Numbers on the Decline
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
(Photograph by William C. Vantuono)
Newly released data by the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) American Railway Car Institute Committee (ARCI) shows decreases in railcar orders, deliveries and backlog in 2023’s third-quarter.
The data includes information on covered hoppers (over 5,500 c/f, 3,500-5,500 c/f, under 3,500 c/f); open top hoppers (steel, aluminum); gondolas (GB steel, GT steel, GT aluminum); flat cars (non-intermodal, intermodal); non-articulated/articulated (five-unit platforms, other platforms); and tank cars.
In third-quarter 2023, railcar orders dropped 73% to 9,346 from second-quarter 2023’s 16,194; deliveries were down 13% to 10,545 from the prior quarter’s 11,919; and backlog was down 2% to 58,680 from the prior quarter’s 59,878.
Railcar orders, deliveries and backlog for third-quarter 2023 also showed losses over third-quarter 2022: orders were down 62% from the 25,075 posted the same period last year; deliveries were down 2% from the 10,821 logged in third-quarter 2022; and backlog was down 4% from the 61,415 logged for the same period last year.
