STEELTON, Pa. — The Cleveland-Cliffs Steelton plant, which had been one of just three U.S. locations producing railroad rails, will be closed permanently as of Jan. 13, 2026.
The plant just southeast of Harrisburg, Pa., had been closed in June in a move the company described as temporary but indefinite [see “Rail-making Steelton, Pa., steel plant …,” Trains.com, May 3, 2025].
WHP-TV reports employees were informed of the decision in a letter that said the company no longer sees the plant as “economically viable” because of “weak demand and insufficient pricing for the products produced at the facility.” WGAL-TV reports the United Steelworkers union said the closing date will follow a 90-day notice of closure. While more than 500 workers had previously been employed at the plant, the union said 37 people are still working on the site, addressing environmental cleanup ahead of the closure.
The plant, founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad, dates to 1866 and was the first U.S. facility to produce rail for commercial sale.
The earlier closure also shut down the plant’s railroad, the 3.7-mile Steelton & Highspire.
Steel Dynamics Inc of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Orion Steel in Pueblo, Colo., are the remaining U.S. locations producing rail.
If the market is weak and old equipment needs rebuilding or major replacement, the move makes sense. Commercial companies are not charitable organizations.
Another manufacturing facility sacrificed to the altar of “Profit, but not enough profit.”