Railcar Leasing Service Market Report 2026

The railcar leasing service market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $26.11 billion in 2025 to $27.45 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to growth in bulk commodity transportation, expansion of industrial rail freight usage, rising capital costs of railcar ownership, availability of diversified leasing portfolios, increased demand for fleet flexibility.

The railcar leasing service market size is expected to see steady growth in the next few years. It will grow to $32.95 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.7%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing volatility in freight demand, rising adoption of asset-light business models, expansion of intermodal transportation needs, growing focus on cost-efficient logistics solutions, increasing use of data-driven fleet utilization tools. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing preference for flexible railcar leasing models, rising demand for specialized railcar fleets, growing use of leasing to reduce capital expenditure, expansion of short-term and operating lease agreements, enhanced focus on fleet optimization.

The expansion of the transportation and logistics industry is expected to drive the growth of the railcar leasing service market. This industry covers the various processes, systems, and infrastructure required to move, store, and distribute goods and people, across modes such as road, rail, air, and sea. The transportation and logistics sector is growing due to factors like increased globalization, the rise of e-commerce, urbanization, technological innovations, supply chain optimization, and a focus on sustainability. Railcar leasing services offer flexible, cost-efficient solutions for transporting bulk goods over long distances, eliminating the need for companies to make large capital investments in purchasing railcars. For example, in July 2024, Atradius N.V., a Netherlands-based provider of trade credit insurance and related services, projected that global transportation and logistics output would grow by 3.8% in 2024, with a further expected increase of 4% in 2025. As a result, the growth of the transportation and logistics industry is fueling the railcar leasing service market.

Major companies in the railcar leasing service market are concentrating on developing innovative renting and delivery solutions, such as remotely piloted rental car deliveries, which involve using driverless operations to transport rental cars to customers' specified locations. This approach leverages drone technology and automation to streamline the rental car delivery process, providing convenience and efficiency to customers. For instance, in June 2023, Halo.Car, a US-based startup, launched remotely piloted rental car deliveries in Las Vegas, using a fleet equipped with cameras, modems, antennas, and other components to facilitate remote operation from a central operations center. This innovative model enhances the customer experience by simplifying the rental car delivery process.

In December 2023, American Industrial Transport (AITX) acquired SMBC Rail Services, a move that expands AITX's fleet to over 50,000 railcars and brings new customers and expertise into its rail industry team. SMBC Rail Services is a provider of railcar leasing services based in the US.

Major companies operating in the railcar leasing service market report include GATX Corporation, Trinity Industries Inc., The Greenbrier Companies, Union Tank Car Company, VTG AG, Ermewa SA, Beacon Rail Leasing Ltd., Touax Rail Ltd., SMBC Rail Services LLC, Chicago Freight Car Leasing Company, Brunswick Rail Finance Ltd., Midwest Railcar Corporation, National Railway Equipment Company, CIT Group, Wells Fargo, Mitsui & Co. Ltd., Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Fenniarail Ltd., One Rail Australia, Union Pacific Corporation, CSX Corporation, Canadian National Railway Company, Southern Shorthaul Railroad Pty. Ltd., The Greenbrier Companies Leasing, VTG Rail Logistics.

North America was the largest region in the railcar leasing service market in 2025. The regions covered in the railcar leasing service market report include Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the railcar leasing service market report include Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The railcar leasing service market includes revenues earned by entities by providing Specialized Equipment Leasing, Net leasing, bare leasing and per diem leasing and engineering services. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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