USA: Alstom has expanded its rolling stock factory at Hornell in New York state with the opening of the $75m Plant 4, which it says is one of the few advanced manufacturing facilities in the USA capable of producing stainless steel car bodyshells for passenger vehicles.
Alstom previously produced this type of bodyshell for US projects at its facility in Brazil, and the investment in Plant 4 ‘reshores’ production in the USA. The company said this would cement Hornell’s position as the largest passenger train manufacturing site in the country and strengthen domestic supply chains. The investment will support 390 existing jobs in Hornell, and create 258 new positions including in mechatronics engineering and robotics-related fields.
The first project will be the production of 200 push-pull coaches for Chicago’s Metra commuter rail network under a €650m order placed in 2021; there are options for 300 more. Automated welding robots will be used to make welds precise to within 1 mm.
Plant 4 will also provide additional capacity and manufacturing capabilities to support other projects, including the production of light rail vehicles for Philadelphia.
‘When we invest in American manufacturing, we create good jobs that have a ripple effect across the entire region. We’re not just building trains — we are creating opportunities in Hornell and across the country’, said Michael Keroullé, President of Alstom Americas, when the plant was officially opened with a ribbon cutting on June 2. ‘Plant 4 upholds our long-standing commitment to making trains in America, and it expands our ability to deliver cutting-edge rail solutions for our customers.’
Alstom worked with 40 contractors to build and equip Plant 4.
The project was supported by grant, job credit and tax credit programmes from federal, state and local agencies, including New York Empire State Development, the US Economic Development Administration, City of Hornell Industrial Development Agency, the US Department of Treasury CDFI Fund, US Department of Housing & Urban Development, New York State Electric & Gas, and the US Department of Labor Employment & Training Administration. Support also included $3·4m of federal funding, and the state is providing up to $7m in performance-based tax incentives.
State Governor Kathy Hochul said ‘we are reshoring good, union jobs and rebuilding upstate, making New York the place where things get made and made well’.
