The railcar leasing industry didn’t appear out of nowhere – it was born the moment railroads stopped trying to do absolutely everything (they even owned hotels + golf courses!) + started focusing on the one thing they actually do best. In (Rail)Car Talk, Harris + Sydney are back with Erica Ray, SVP of Sales at AITX, for Part 2 of their conversation, this time focusing on the mechanics of railcar leasing + what it actually takes for a new shipper to get their hands on equipment.
Erica doesn’t sugarcoat it: for a first-time shipper, breaking into the railcar market is not the easiest thing. She walks through the whys of that + what technological advancements could do to close the gap. The conversation also touches on what current market activity is signalling, from data center buildouts driving boxcar + aggregate hopper demand, to the rising appetite for cement.
Shortlines get their due, as the most underrated part of the industry, + Erica shares her reflection on what a career in rail does to your grit. Spoiler alert: it builds it considerably because nothing is as bad as a bad day on the railroad!