USA: Railcar builder Greenbrier has unveiled a project to supply 50 gondola cars, bringing together steelmaker SSAB and scrap-recycling company Alter Trading Corporation, which is also the customer for the rolling stock.
The three companies are positioning the project as a “continuous recycling loop”. The steel for the gondola cars was cast at SSAB’s plant in Iowa from scrap supplied by Alter, using an electric arc furnace powered by fossil-fuel-free, biogas-based electricity. According to the companies, producing 1 kg of the steel generates only 0.05 kg of CO₂ emissions.
The steel, marketed as SSAB Zero, also offers higher strength than conventional grades, allowing for a lighter car and a corresponding gain in load capacity. According to the promotional video, the four-axle gondola car, with an axle load of around 32.4 tf, has a tare weight of 31.4 t and a load capacity of 98.3 t, which is 2.9 t more than an equivalent car built from traditional steel. The new gondola cars have a body volume of 114 m³ and a stated service life of 50 years.
Production of low-carbon-footprint gondola cars. Source: Greenbrier
The full batch is due to be delivered to Alter shortly. The cars will then carry scrap metal to the same SSAB plant, closing the loop the project is built around.
This is not the first time Greenbrier has tied gondola car production to a green agenda. In 2021, the company announced a similar car built with high-strength steel from U.S. Steel for operator Norfolk Southern, with plans for 800 units offering even more impressive figures – a tare weight of 27.9 t and a load capacity of 101.8 t. No up-to-date information on how that contract was ultimately carried out could be found in open sources.
