Alstom, operator of MARC's commuter rail services in Maryland and the District of Columbia and manufacturer of Amtrak's Acela II trains, has acquired property near Newark, DE as part of its agreement to provide maintenance services to the Avelia Liberty-based trains.
The new facility will have two indoor tracks to permit servicing, together with a third track for storage purposes. With a total investment, by the company, of $55 million, the new facility will result in 100 jobs coming to the area, while a nearby parts facility will add a second 50 employees to the existing 50 staff members.
Based in suburban Paris, France and with U.S. headquarters in New York City, Alstom remains locked in a battle with Siemens and CRRC for America's passenger rail and transit markets. In recent years, the company has also manufactured subway cars for the New York City Transit Authority and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and is in the process of building New Jersey Transit's Multilevel III cars, which will replace the long-lived Arrow MU fleet.
Link to News Release: Alstom acquires Delaware site for new facility to assist with maintenance of Amtrak NextGen Acela trains | Alstom
Photo Credit: Marc Glucksman, via Alstom