U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is pleased with a German technology engineering company's announcement that it will spend more than $220 million to build a rail car manufacturing facility in North Carolina.
Siemens Mobility announced an investment in North Carolina, which is expected to create more than 500 jobs by 2028 and grow the state's economy by $1.6 billion over 12 years, according to a March 7 news release. Production is expected to begin next year.
"Better passenger train service, riding on new trains built by American workers," Buttigieg said in a March 10 Twitter post.
Siemens AG's Mobility branch focuses passenger and freight transportation and will build the advanced manufacturing and rail services facility in Lexington, N.C., the release reported. Siemens sees itself in a position to meet the rising demand for passenger rail in the U.S. market, becoming the largest passenger rolling stock manufacturer in the country.
Siemens said it will produce some of the most sustainable and advanced passenger trains available in North America, and the North Carolina facility will be among the region's largest employers, according to the release. Siemens Mobility already operates a manufacturing facility in Sacramento, Calif.
"America's investing in rail – and we are investing in America," Siemens AG CEO Roland Busch said in the release. "Siemens has invested $3 billion in manufacturing expansions and M&A activities in the U.S. over the past four years alone, including nearly $400 million to grow its U.S. manufacturing footprint and over two and half billion dollars in strategic U.S. acquisitions. This latest facility will build rail technology to help transform the everyday for millions of passengers around the country, particularly as the country sees a resurgence in public transit and intercity travel."
President Joe Biden's administration also praised Siemens's announcement, the release reported.
"President Biden committed to investing in America and rebuilding our economy from the bottom up and middle out – and it's working," Senior Advisor to the President and White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu said in the release. "Today's announcement from Siemens is further proof that when the public and private sector work together, we can build a better America – powered by world-class, sustainable transit and rail that makes it easier for families to see their loved ones, domestic manufacturing that strengthens our global competitiveness and good-paying jobs for all."
In January, the Biden administration announced funding for major transportation projects funded by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, according to a White House fact sheet. The Biden administration's infrastructure plans include a proposal to invest $80 billion in passenger rail, which would be the largest such investment since the creation of AMTRAK in 1971.
Other recent announcements include the Minneapolis Southwest Light Rail Transit project, expected to receive $291.9 million; Seattle Lynwood Link Light Rail extension project, expected to receive $250.7 million; East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Phase I Project, expected to receive $167 million; Hudson Tunnel Project in New York, expected to receive $700 million; and Second Avenue Subway Phase II Project, also in New York, expected to receive $496.8 million, according to the fact sheet.
