DOT urges U.S. steel production for streetcars

Led by Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari, the Department of Transportation on Monday hosted a roundtable discussion in Washington with transportation, manufacturing, and steel industry leaders to discuss a plan for producing steel streetcar rails in the U.S.

“The Obama Administration is committed to putting Americans back to work making the products our nation needs to compete,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a statement. “We want U.S. manufacturers to supply the rails for U.S. streetcars and today’s meeting was a first step toward making this a reality.”

Porcari said he hopes that the meeting will help determine the potential market size for steel rails and the level of interest among manufacturers, as well as identify obstacles that need to be addressed.

“The Federal Transit Administration is making major investments in streetcars as they’ve made a real comeback in many cities,” said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff. “It only makes sense that the rail they ride on is stamped ‘Made in the U.S.A.,’ because with the ingenuity of the American workforce and industry, we can do it right here at home.”

DOT said industry experts estimate that 18,000 metric tons of steel girder rail will be needed during the next three years to meet the demand of streetcar projects being planned and built in the U.S. That amount is expected to expand to upwards of 33,000 metric tons over the coming decade.

Deputy Secretary Porcari called the meeting following a survey by the FTA and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership that indicated interest among domestic steelwork foundries in manufacturing streetcar rails.