January 13, 2021
CHICAGO, IL – From The Metra Website: “The Metra Board of Directors today approved the purchase of up to 500 state-of-the-art railcars from Alstom Transportation Inc., opting for new multilevel cars that will be more comfortable, accessible, reliable and safe than the outdated gallery cars they will replace. ‘This move is truly transformational,’ said an elated Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski. ‘We are finally modernizing one of the oldest fleets in the country and, in doing so, we will improve operations while elevating our passenger experience to an entirely new level. It’s really part of our long-term plan to evolve and serve the changing needs of today’s commuters.'”
Local reaction from Hornell Mayor John Buckley: “This is tremendous news, wonderful news for Alstom, for the Hornell community, the area, region and state. We’ve been keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the best. They came through. Alstom has a tremendous team and the work and dedication they put into this is finally paying dividends. I’m elated over it. What a way to start the new year, with 250 new jobs for Alstom!”
Hornell IDA Consultant Shawn Hogan attributed the deal to a year of hard work by Alstom, Metra and the Hornell Industrial Development Agency. “They got the contract which is huge, 200 cars right out of the box, with an option for 300 more, with a potential value for 1.8 billion dollars, and with the award of that contract, we’ll be able to move forward with the construction of the new car shell facility at Shawmut Park, just north of Plant Two, the motor shop. We’ve already begun with some of the moving and site development.”
