MICHIGAN CITY, IN—July 25, 2024 (James Street Media Services)—Anacostia Rail Holdings (ARH) is pleased to announce that its Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad (CSS) has purchased and accepted delivery of 100 new rail cars purpose-built for steel coil shipments.

The order was placed with two North American railcar manufacturers, each supplying 50 cars. The builders are The Greenbrier Companies and National Steel Car. The 48-foot, 115-ton capacity, transverse-style cars can each hold up to five steel coils. The cars are equipped with covers for all-weather transport, and their transverse troughs hold coils securely in place with no need for dunnage or blocking.

This purchase will bring the size of the CSS rail car fleet to nearly 700 cars.

“For the second time since 2007, CSS has made a significant investment by purchasing coil steel cars to support our customers’ growth,” says CSS President Todd Bjornstad. “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.”

Faster turnarounds

CSS serves coil steel producers in the Midwest including Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. at Burns Harbor, IN and U.S. Steel’s Midwest Plant in Portage, IN. The cars will transport shipments moving to locations all across the North American rail network with ready interchange to all Class I railroads and many other short line and regional railroads. Because the equipment is owned by CSS, it will be immediately available for customers to reload as soon as it returns from a previous delivery.

Peter Gilbertson, ARH CEO and President says, “ARH is pleased to leverage its strong financial position to provide funds for this purchase by CSS, which is one of six railroads in our U.S. network. We provide our customers with responsive last- and first-mile services that are critical to successful long-haul rail shipping. We are excited about this purchase, which will provide added value to our customers’ supply chains.”

About Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad
An affiliate of Anacostia Rail Holdings, the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad operates 127 miles of line providing rail freight service between Chicago and South Bend, IN, and Chicago and Kingsbury, IN, with connections to all Chicago-area railroads as well as the Port of Chicago.
www.anacostia.com/our-companies/css

About Anacostia Rail Holdings
Anacostia Rail Holdings is a privately held company that owns and operates freight railroads throughout the U.S. Combined, ARH’s six railroads handle the equivalent of over two million carloads annually. ARH provides freight services to major metropolitan centers and small communities operating on more than 600 miles of track.
www.anacostia.com

NOTE: Reproducible photo available upon request

MEDIA CONTACT
Peter Gilbertson
Anacostia Rail Holdings
(312) 362-1888
pgilbertson@anacostia.com