As Saudi Arabia continues to pour resources into the massive logistics buildout described in its Saudi Vision 2030 plan, the middle eastern nation today announced it will purchase 780 railcars from a U.S. manufacturer to support freight transportation capacity and infrastructure development.
Oregon-based freight transportation equipment provider The Greenbrier Companies said the Saudi Arabian government-owned railroad company SAR had purchased tank cars for transporting phosphoric acid and molten sulfur, as well as intermodal units. The order represents Greenbrier’s first sale of intermodal units to SAR and builds on a customer relationship that began with a 2015 tank car order.
The Saudi order was part of a total of Greenbrier’s fourth quarter results, which included a total of 3,400 new railcar orders with an aggregate value of approximately $600 million. Greenbrier says it pioneered double-stack intermodal railcar technology in the 1980s, building specialized, low-profile railcars that are designed to maximize freight efficiency by enabling double-stacking of containers while maintaining a lower center of gravity.
Greenbrier has already begun fulfilling the large order, saying the tank cars were formed from U.S. steel, have been completed at Greenbrier’s North American manufacturing operations in Mexico, and have already begun shipping to SAR.
“Our fiscal fourth-quarter orders demonstrate global customer demand for Greenbrier’s products and the value of our commercial and engineering capabilities. We are honored to continue our partnership with SAR and look forward to supporting SAR’s ongoing rail projects and contributing to freight infrastructure development and upgrades in Saudi Arabia for years to come,” Brian Comstock, Greenbrier’s executive vice president and president, The Americas, said in a release.
