ARCI: Rail-car orders accelerated in Q3

Third-quarter 2020 rail-car orders climbed to 5,783 units from 1,923 units in the second quarter, but fell from orders of 7,315 units in third-quarter 2019, according to data from the Railway Supply Institute's American Railway Car Institute Committee (ARCI).

Rail-car deliveries and the backlog also declined during the third quarter, as the industry continued to grapple with economic challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, RSI officials said in the ARCI report.

Rail cars delivered in the third quarter fell to 7,953 units from 8,441 in the second quarter, and from 14,571 units delivered in third-quarter 2019.

The rail-car backlog stood at 37,417 units on Oct. 1, down from 39,612 on July 1. The backlog previously totaled 46,330 on April 1 and 51,295 on Dec. 31, 2019.

ARCI statistics are compiled by RSI using data from North American rail-car builders.