Greenbrier, U.S. Steel and Norfolk Southern green the gondola

Eastern Class I railroad Norfolk Southern, railcar manufacturer Greenbrier and steel producer U.S. Steel have worked together to produce a sustainable gondola railcar.

NS (NYSE: NSC) will initially acquire 800 of these gondolas, engineered by Greenbrier (NYSE: GBX) with a high-strength, lighter-weight steel from U.S. Steel (NYSE: X), the three said Thursday. The creation of the gondola comes with the understanding that the existing aging fleet will need to be replaced someday with a design that’s more sustainable, they said.

Gondolas transport loose bulk material such as metal scraps, coils, wood chips, steel slabs and ore. 

This model differs from older iterations because of efforts to extend the railcar’s life cycle, enable greater freight capacity and reach sustainability goals, according to the group. The new steel is twice as strong as the steel traditionally used in the railcar manufacturing process, thus potentially extending the gondola’s life to 50 years, while the stronger external finish strengthens the railcar body and lowers maintenance costs, they said. The high-strength steel also requires less structural reinforcement, which in turn simplifies the manufacturing process and allows more total cargo space per car.