Rail Equipment Finance 2024: Does anyone remember the saying “In Like a Lion—Out Like a Lamb”? Intermodal loadings ended 2023 on a strong note and started out 2024 positive as well. The
I am responding on behalf of Anthony Coscia, Amtrak’s Chairman, to your Feb. 13 letter regarding Amtrak’s long-distance fleet. Since I already addressed many of your assertions (in bold italics below) in
Growth has yet to materialize for the rail industry. What is holding this industry back? Can railroads grow again? If so, how? 2023 saw yet another decline in rail traffic volumes, continuing this industry’s decades-long gradual trend. What philosophy is leading to this outcome?
We hosted a virtual group meeting with Justin Roberts, VP, Corporate Finance & Treasurer, The Greenbrier Companies. Mr. Roberts remains confident in GBX’s long-term operational plan, launched in April at the company’s first-ever investor day. Inquiry and order activity has been solid in recent weeks. He expects stable industry builds at or modestly above replacement for the next few years.
On Feb. 21, I reported on 15 potential long-distance routes that Amtrak could operate someday, in theory, anyway. These routes resulted from a two-year evaluation and selection process sponsored by the Federal
Railroaders can’t become complacent or lose respect for the heavy equipment they work around every day. A close call early in my career brought that message home for me and underscored why safety must always be top of mind.
Most locomotive energy transition scenarios bode well for Wabtec and to a lesser extent Caterpillar. There appears to be a near-consensus within the industry that the fleet will be zero-emission non-diesel in the long term but no clear consensus on what that will be, although hydrogen electrolyzer is a leading candidate. Bridge technologies could include biofuels, renewable diesel, hydrogen ICE, and battery.
WATCHING WASHINGTON, RAILWAY AGE, MARCH 2024 ISSUE: National Transportation Board (NTSB) Chairperson Jennifer Esposito Homendy can be a pain in the neck, and elsewhere. Celebrate that tenacity. It assuredly saves what cannot be calculated—injuries not suffered and lives not lost in preventable transportation mishaps.
FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE, MARCH 2024 ISSUE: Most rail professionals don’t devote time to ocean freight rates or shipping industry consolidation.
We had one-on-one and group meetings with several rail and rail equipment stakeholders at the Rail Equipment Finance Conference 2024 (REF), held March 3-6 in La Quinta, Calif. Putting the pieces together,