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Home > News > Financial and Economic News > Smith Business School releases report on the state of the railcar industry
 
Smith Business School releases report on the state of the railcar industry
 
2/24/2011
 
A new report from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business reveals some troubling economic news for the private railcar industry.

The document, entitled Economic and Environmental Benefits of Private Railcars in North America, concludes that the nation's $90 billion fleet of privately owned freight railway cars may be in jeopardy. Researchers from the school's Supply Chain Management Center, which in an integral part of the university's MBA program, found that private owners of freight cars are not making high enough returns to substantiate their continued investment.

The reduced profits are due in part to changes in the railroad industry's interchange rules, which aim to increase safety and efficiency. Owners of the cars have been responsible for funding the changes in order to meet new requirements, and they have gained very little monetary benefit from the upgrades.

The industry's decline is evident on Wall Street, as well. According to American Banking and Market News, American Railcar Industries, a major supplier of freight cars, posted a fourth quarter loss of $7.8 million, or about $0.37 per share. This figure was significantly lower than the Thompson Reuters estimate, which predicted $0.24 per share.
 
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