Officials survey progress at future CRRC manufacturing site

April 21, 2016 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

SPRINGFIELD – With a pile driver in the background providing a beat, officials of CRRC, the Chinese company building a rail car manufacturing facility on Page Boulevard, discussed its progress with city officials on April 19.    

Although there wasn’t much to see in the location where Westinghouse used to have a massive factory, Mayor Domenic Sarno said he is “very satisfied” with what he heard.

The rail car factory is scheduled to open in the fall of 2017. Engineering, research and development and administrative offices are planned to be in the one remaining Westinghouse building on the site.

Sarno told Reminder Publications the company, the largest rail car manufacturer in the world, has already secured another American contract, this one for the transit system in Chicago, IL. He said the company is competing for a contract in Atlantic, GA.

The company already has the contract to produce new cars for the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.

Sarno added the Springfield factory will be the company’s base of operations for North America and he noted there is room for expansion on the site.

What Sarno said would be the additional benefit from the factory would be using local suppliers, such as the Pioneer Valley’s thriving precision machining industry.

Springfield Chief Development Officer Kevin Kennedy said the factory is on schedule to open on time.

“They’ve done everything they said they were going to do,” he said. “They’ve been very, very cooperative.”

CRRC Chairman Diangio Cui said, “We are proud to have Springfield as our partner on this journey to establish rail car manufacturing in a city rich with history, passion, and a commitment to improve the local economy through education and employment opportunities. I look forward to standing here next year with Mayor Sarno, as we open the doors to a facility that will provide jobs, manufacturing expertise, and state-of-the-art rail car vehicles for North America.”

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