Recent Release | 13 Feb 2023

Rail Supply Industry: Manufacturing and Services Keeping the American Economy on Track

Economic Consulting Team

Oxford Economics

The rail supply industry—the businesses behind the rail transportation industry that provide the necessary goods and services to keep the US railroad network running—plays an essential and powerful role in driving in the United States economy. In 2020, the US rail supply industry’s total economic impact was $75.8 billion of GDP, 682,426 jobs, $49.0 billion of labor income, and $15.5 billion in taxes. These numbers combine the direct, indirect, and induced contributions of the sector’s activities.

Rail suppliers enable the rail transportation industry to operate by manufacturing railcars and locomotives, and critical rail infrastructure such as signals, rail ties, and railway maintenance equipment. Key segments of the rail supply industry include: railcar (“rolling stock”) manufacturers, railcar lessors, rail parts manufacturers, maintenance-of-way specialists, and rail tie manufacturers.

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About the team

Our Economic Consulting team are world leaders in quantitative economic analysis, working with clients around the globe and across sectors to build models, forecast markets and evaluate interventions using state-of-the art techniques. Lead consultants on this project included: