To lease or to buy a railcar? If that is the question, this article is for you. Making investment decisions in any business must be done carefully, strategically, with a clear understanding of the market and a company’s transport needs, and with deep product knowledge. Our Top 10 reasons when and why leasing could be the better choice:

1. The philosopher Andre Gide once said that “To choose is to renounce.”
   To avoid losing access to their railcar of choice, companies commit to a costly railcar purchase, thus significantly restricting their financial capacity for future core business development. When leasing with GATX Rail Europe, our customers do not have to sacrifice their company’s growth to their railcar choice. Instead, customers can acquire their preferred railcar while having the choice of several leasing options. To ensure you get your transport capacities when you need them, we provide flexible leasing options, allowing you to choose between full-service or a dry-lease as well as the renewal or adaption of lease expirations.
2. The lack of good advice and insight at the time of a railcar purchase can be risky. Leasing guarantees access to experts who know how to best support your transport needs while finding you the correct tailor made or standard wagon equipment.
3. Experience matters. Choosing a company with long-term and ample railcar management experience will ensure your success. Instead of buying, many clients could better benefit from GATX Rail Europe’s proven railcar proficiency and decades of leasing experience.
4. Connections alongside market and industry knowledge are key. Experienced railcar lessors give you the advantageous access to both. Less well-connected buyers, however, could experience slower growth when choosing to purchase a railcar rather than leasing it.
5. Railcar lessors offer essential perks that you would otherwise have to invest in, build, and further develop on your own when buying. And getting it right takes time. GATX Rail Europe has a team of engineers who are experts in designing railcars and building new railcars. The company operates with several expertly developed workshops for railcar maintenance and new-builds, giving their clients an important head start.
6. Simply put, the world of rail is more than just a complex web of winding tracks. It is also an elaborate social network. When buying your railcar, you work within the limits of your connections. When leasing, you become part of a bigger, global partner network for maintenance in the whole of Europe. And in rail, gaining more ground ensures a strong, competitive standing.
7. Buying railcars means you will have to find the correct supplier for all of your innovations. Leasing provides a broad supplier base for whatever it is you’d like to transport — we’ll find a way to make it happen.
8. Any purchase requires capital. Leasing avoids the burdensome long-term capital investment hurdle. GATX Rail Europe’s strong financial background will give you access to any railcar you need.
9. The rail industry is fiercely competitive and strictly regulated. It requires highly skilled experts to successfully navigate the buying process. Buying a railcar means to ensure it meets all safety standards. Leasing allows for a high quality service and support, so that the fleet follows all safety, quality, and compliance requirements.
10. Purchasing a railcar is a long-term commitment of up to 40 years, the whole lifecycle of a railcar, and requires sourcing, maintenance, sometimes remarketing, obsolence management, and disposition — tasks that GATX Rail Europe is happy to take on for you.

In conclusion, collaborating with a reliable, efficient railcar leasing company is often the more economically sensible choice that ensures the top-level performance for your business. If you are unsure, we are happy to walk you through your options. If you already have purchased railcars but would like to switch to leasing them in the future, we are interested in buying your fleet and potentially leasing your railcars back to you. If you are considering switching transport modes, contact us — we’d love to welcome you to the world of railcar leasing. And while GATX address your raicar leasing needs, we continue to ask ourselves: What if we can do even more for you? Because we strive to make railcar leasing easier!