On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced a new manufacturing hub to build high-speed trains in Chemung County.
Technology company Siemens and its transportation subsidiary, Siemens Mobility will build a $60 million, 300,000-square-foot-facility in the village of Horseheads for train production.
Siemens is partnering with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) union bringing hundreds of jobs to the Southern Tier.
“You don't see many massive 300-job announcements in Chemung County,” said Schumer. “Every one of those jobs is going to support families and this factory will grow the local economy in a big way. As I said, the good pay that these workers will get will then circulate throughout our community and help the prosperity of so many others who have nothing to do directly with the rail industry. It's building a future for our families in the Southern Tier.“
The facility will produce seven-car passenger American Pioneer 220 (AP 220) trains for Brightline West. The 220-mph trains will be used in a new multi-billion dollar, high-speed rail system from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
Construction of the facility at the Southern Tier Logistics Business Park site will begin this year.
Schumer said the AP 220 trains will cut down on the amount of personal vehicles on the road.
“Once up and running, it's going to take over a million cars off the road. That's going to reduce traffic, lower carbon emissions, and provide a blueprint for what the rest of high-speed rail can look like in all of America.“
The senator said upstate New York has a history of pioneering rail manufacturing and he has helped support the regional railcar manufacturing and supply chain companies returning through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Schumer said the Siemens and Brightline West project will bring long-lasting, sustainable economic growth to the Southern Tier.
“What I really like is jobs that have a future,” said Schumer. “So when a parent knows that their kid, right out of high school or right out of community college or out of college gets a job here, they're going to know that it's going to be a job that's going to last a very long time. This is not going to be a place that closes up in a couple of years, because the need is gone. The need for high-speed rail is going to grow and grow and grow.”
High-speed train construction begins in 2026 and the trains are expected to be on the rails by 2028.