New York, N.Y. – After years of advocacy, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today released the following statement following Amtrak’s announcement that its new Acela fleet, built by Alstom’s union workforce in Upstate NY, will enter service along the Northeast Corridor later this month:
“Amtrak’s new Acela trains will be hitting the tracks soon, meaning a smoother and speedier experience for passengers across the Northeast corridor. None of this would be possible without the powerhouse union workforce at Alstom in Hornell. The Southern Tier workforce is the best of the best when it comes to train production, and they are ushering in the future of rail travel for all of America,” said Senator Schumer. “I fought for years to lay the foundation and set Alstom and the Southern Tier up to land this major contract building these trains because I knew it would be a game-changer for the region – providing years of work and hundreds of good-paying jobs. Soon, travelers will be riding in faster, safer train cars from Washington D.C. to Boston made right here in the Southern Tier. All aboard and full steam ahead for America’s rail future, thanks to Alstom and the union workers of Steuben County!”
Schumer, a long-standing fighter for Alstom, its workers, and the City of Hornell, has worked tirelessly to support growth at its Steuben County facility, a site that for more than 170 years has been manufacturing and servicing high-quality trains in Hornell. Through his efforts, the workforce has doubled, and the facility has expanded, cementing Alstom and Hornell’s future as a leader in rail car manufacturing in North America. He led the charge, urging USDOT to green light Amtrak’s efforts to buy brand new Next Generation High-Speed trains, a necessary step to keep Alstom’s Acela contracting opportunity on track, paving the way for them to compete and win the prestigious contract to build a replacement fleet of Acela high speed trains, adding an estimated 400 jobs at Alstom in Hornell and helping attract over 50 other supplier companies.
In 2021, after his direct advocacy, Schumer announced a $3.4 million federal grant from the Economic Development Administration to the Hornell IDA to make improvements to the Shawmut Park site to pave the way for Alstom’s facility expansion. This project allowed Alstom to build one of the only U.S.-based manufactured rail car shell operations, onshoring manufacturing from overseas and bolstering the rolling stock domestic supply chain.
Schumer also successfully delivered nearly $16 million to the Steuben County IDA, which in partnership with Alstom, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Binghamton University’s New Energy New York (NENY) consortium, will develop next-generation battery technology for more energy-efficient trains.
