The Greenbrier Companies and National Steel Car have delivered 100 new purpose-built steel coil railcars (50 units each) to Anacostia Rail Holdings (ARH) subsidiary Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad (CSS).
The 48-foot, 115-ton-capacity, transverse-style cars can each hold up to five steel coils. The cars are equipped with covers for all-weather transport, and their transverse troughs hold coils securely in place with no need for dunnage or blocking.
This purchase will bring the size of the CSS railcar fleet to nearly 700.
CSS serves coil steel producers in the Midwest including Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. at Burns Harbor and U.S. Steel’s Midwest Plant in Portage, both in Indiana. The new equipment, CSS noted, “will transport shipments moving to locations all across the North American rail network with ready interchange to all Class I railroads and many other short line and regional railroads. Because the equipment is owned by CSS, it will be immediately available for customers to reload as soon as it returns from a previous delivery. This significant investment supports more efficient and reliable logistics for steel coil and manufacturing supply chains.”
“For the second time since 2007, CSS has made a significant investment by purchasing coil steel cars to support our customers’ growth,” says CSS President Todd Bjornstad. “By adding these cars to our leased fleet, we have greater control of the equipment to support our customers with safer, more efficient and greener rail shipping options.”
“ARH is pleased to leverage its strong financial position to provide funds for this purchase by CSS, which is one of six railroads in our U.S. network,” adds CEO and President Peter Gilbertson. “We provide our customers with responsive last- and first-mile services that are critical to successful long-haul rail shipping. We are excited about this purchase, which will provide added value to our customers’ supply chains.”
