Flourishing rail-car market a bellwether of economic growth, Frankel says (10/8/2004)
10/8/2025Yesterday, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy Emil Frankel toured The Greenbrier Cos.' Gunderson rail-car plant in Portland, Ore., which produced more than 4,700 cars in fiscal-year 2004 compared with 3,800 cars in FY2003.
The facility now employs about 1,200 people — hundreds more compared with the Gunderson plant's workforce level the past several years.
"The transportation sector is a bellwether of an improving economy," said Frankel in a prepared statement. "Gunderson has added 300 jobs over the last few years to keep up with new orders."
First-half car orders already have surpassed the total number of orders in 2002 and the current car backlog of 51,400 units is the highest since 1998. Greenbrier — which produces about a quarter all ordered cars — recently reported a backlog of 14,300 units.
"The thriving business at Gunderson is a story we are seeing repeated around the country," said Frankel. "The growing U.S. economy has railroads scrambling for freight cars to haul goods worth billions of dollars to market."
Source: Progressive Railroading Daily News