Rail Car Leasing Market Competitive Landscape & Future Outlook

Rail Car Leasing Market Size, Share & Growth Projections

The rail car leasing market is forecasted to expand from USD 15.19 billion in 2025 to USD 23.43 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 4.93% from 2025 to 2034.

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Introduction

The rail car leasing market is a prominent sector of the railway industry. This industry deals in leasing of railcars for different end-users around the world. There are several types of railcars used in this sector consisting of covered railcars, tank railcars, hopper railcars, gondola railcars, flatbed railcars, refrigerated railcars and some others. These railcars are leased for numerous terms comprising of short-term leases, long-term leases, medium-term leases and others. It finds applications in various end-user industries such as oil & gas, chemical products, energy, coal, steel & mining and others. The growing development in the oil and gas industry has boosted the industrial expansion. This market is projected to rise significantly with the growth of the heavy industries sector in different regions of the globe.

• According to the Enerdata yearbook, around 535 metric tons of crude oil was produced in Russia in 2023 and 289 metric tons of crude oil was produced in Canada during the same time period.

Highlights of the Rail Car Leasing Market

• North America held the dominant share of the rail car leasing market due to the growing developments in several industries such as automotive, chemicals, energy and some others.
• The Asia Pacific is expected to grow with a significant CAGR due to the rise in government initiatives aimed at strengthening the railway infrastructure.
• The tank cars segment dominated the market due to the growing emphasis on transporting hazardous chemicals in different parts of the world.
• The chemical segment is projected to rise with the highest CAGR due to the increasing investment of chemical brands in railway leasing services.

Rail Car Leasing: Stats and Figures

• According to the Railway Supply Institute, 9999 railcars were delivered in U.S. during the 4th quarter of 2024.
• According to the ELFA Organization, the number of new railcar deliveries increased by 10.5% during 2023.
• According to the World Gold Council, around 166.7 tons of gold was mined from the U.S. during 2024.
• According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, the Indian crude oil production was 13.26 MMT during September 2024.

Industry Leader Announcement

In February 2024, Mr Benjamin Dobernecker, the CEO of Smart Train Lease announced that,” We want to make renting trains as easy and simple as renting a car, and thus help accelerate the mobility transition, This service will further enhance the attractiveness of rail transport for passengers and enable our customers to react quickly to fluctuating demand.”

Competitive Landscape

The rail car leasing market is a consolidated industry with the presence of few dominating players. Some of the prominent companies in this industry consists of VTG AG (Germany), Ermewa SA (France), Touax Rail Limited (France), Akiem (France), Alpha Trains (Luxembourg), Beacon Rail Leasing (United Kingdom), Porterbrook Leasing Company (United Kingdom), Trinity Industries and some others. These market players are constantly engaged in providing rail car leasing services for maintaining their dominant position in this industry.

• According to the annual report of Trinity Industries, non-pressure tank cars held the majority share of the company with 38% followed by other types of railcars in 2023.

Market Segmentations

By Type

• Covered Railcars
• Tank Railcars
• Flatbed Railcars
• Refrigerated Railcars
• Hopper Railcars
• Gondola Railcars

By Lease Terms

• Short-Term Leases
• Medium-Term Leases
• Long-Term Leases

By Car Origin

• Newly Built Railcars
• Remanufactured Railcars
• Second-Hand Railcars

By End Use

• Oil & Gas
• Chemical Products
• Energy and Coal
• Steel & Mining
• Others

By Region

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East and Africa