ARCI: 4Q20 Railcar Orders, Deliveries Sink

Fourth-quarter 2020 freight car reporting statistics from the Railway Supply Institute’s (RSI) American Railway Car Institute Committee (ARCI) show drops in orders, deliveries and backlog. All came in lower sequentially as the “industry continues to grapple with economic challenges as a result of COVID-19,” ARCI noted Jan. 25.

Carbuilders took orders for 3,397 cars in fourth-quarter 2020, a 60% falloff compared with 8,464 in fourth-quarter 2019, and a 41% decline from 5,783 in third-quarter 2020. Total orders for 2020 were 17,275—a stark contrast to 2018’s 77,478 and 2014’s peak of 138,234.

The fourth-quarter 2020 backlog of 34,598 cars was down 8% from 37,417 at the end of third-quarter 2020; and down 25% from 46,330 at the end of first-quarter 2020.

Deliveries during the last four months of 2020 were 6,216 cars, falling 58% compared with 14,727 at the same point in 2019, and dipping 22% from the previous quarter’s 7,953. Total deliveries for 2020 were 33,434—down from a high of 62,433 in 2016 and 82,296 in 2015.

Following are more railcar order articles from Railway Age:

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

The Cowen Insight: OEM Earnings, Railcar Demand

Greenbrier ‘Ready for a Railcar Demand Recovery’: Cowen