Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad has purchased 100 new rail cars purpose-built for steel coil shipments.
The 48-foot, 115-ton capacity cars can each hold up to five steel coils. The cars are equipped with covers for all-weather transport. The purchase brings the size of the CSS rail car fleet to about 700 cars.
The railroad purchased the cars from North American railcar manufacturers Greenbrier Companies and National Steel Car. Each company is supplying 50 cars.
“For the second time since 2007, CSS has made a significant investment by purchasing coil steel cars to support our customers’ growth,” said Todd Bjornstad, CSS president, in a press release. “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.”
CSS serves coil steel producers in the Midwest, including Cleveland-Cliffs at Burns Harbor and U.S. Steel’s Midwest Plant in Portage. The new cars will transport shipments to locations across the North American rail network. Because CSS owns the equipment, it will be immediately available for customers to reload as soon as it returns from a previous delivery.
“We provide our customers with responsive last- and first-mile services that are critical to successful long-haul rail shipping,” said Peter Gilbertson, Anacostia Rail Holdings CEO and president. “We are excited about this purchase, which will provide added value to our customers’ supply chains.”
CSS is an affiliate of Anacostia Rail Holdings. The railroad operates 127 miles of line. It provides rail freight service between Chicago and South Bend, and Chicago and Kingsbury, with connections to Chicago-area railroads.
Anacostia Rail Holdings owns and operates freight railroads throughout the U.S. The company’s six railroads handle the equivalent of over 2 million carloads annually. Anacostia Rail Holdings operates over 600 miles of track.
