advertisement

---

American Railway Car Institute (ARCI) Committee of Railway Progress Institute Sept. 9 released its latest North American rail-car order forecast, which predicts 17,440 orders in 2002, 28,600 in 2003 and 36,800 in 2004.


ARCI also projects 14,573 car deliveries in 2002, followed by 21,639 in 2003 and 28,761 in 2004. (This year's delivery total would represent the fourth straight annual drop and the industry's lowest total in 15 years.)


"While the North American freight-car building industry has been in a prolonged slump, we hope that 2002 will be the bottom of the current cycle and industry activity will increase sharply in the next two years," said ARCI spokesman Thomas Simpson in a prepared statement.


By car type, ARCI projects that between 2002 and 2004, deliveries of box cars will increase from 1,957 to 3,307; covered hoppers from 2,732 to 7,935; open-top hoppers from 2,098 to 4,247; gondolas from 2,159 to 4,200; flat cars from 4,005 to 9,955; and tank cars from 5,607 to 7,900.