Schumer: Southern Tier company expected to build new trains

“Should this contract materialise, this would ‎be a great recognition of Alstom’s expertise in high speed and we will be honoured to serve Amtrak for this ambitious project”, said Alstom Transport President Henri Poupart-Lafarge.

Congressman Tom Reed says this contract could provide a big economic boost for the Southern Tier.

Amtrak’s board is expected to finalise the contract in December which will see 28 new trains built at Alstom’s Hornell factory.

Amtrak officials did not respond to a request for comment. That’s about half the number that worked there several years ago when the facility had a contract with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

There will be four hundred direct manufacturing jobs created at Alstom.

Hornell, New York -A train building plant in Steuben County has been selected to help with a multi-billion dollar program to build high-speed trains for Amtrak. Those include locomotives and passenger cars used on the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston.

According to the senator, the new high-speed trains will replace the existing fleet, as well as improve service, capacity, reliability, safety and trip times.

A call to the company was not initially returned Monday. The ripple effect of the deal would be a win for the entire Upstate New York economy, Schumer said.