Alstom’s Upstate NY Plant 4 Opens

By Jim Mathews/President & CEO

The small upstate community of Hornell, N.Y., celebrated a very big victory this week – ribbon-cutting at Alstom’s Plant 4, which now stands as the most advanced railcar-building facility in North America.

The facility is heavily outfitted with state-of-the-art robotic welders and tooling to handle fully formed bilevel vehicles, and at peak output it will be capable of producing a new railcar every three days or so.

Alstom says that the car body manufacturing process involves welding together primary parts to create assemblies as long as 80 feet. At Plant 4, automated welding robots will be used to make sure tens of thousands of welds are precise within 1 millimeter, a feat made possible by incorporating AI technology so that the robots can work together safely, efficiently, and accurately.

Alstom says transit authority customers will benefit from enhanced quality and lower cost of production. Chicago’s Metra will be the first order to run through Plant 4.

This expansion at Alstom’s Hornell site is expected to create 258 new jobs, including those in mechatronics engineering and robotics-related fields, while helping to retain 390 existing jobs.

“Hornell has long thrived as a hub for the railroad transportation industry, and our longstanding partnership with Alstom has played a vital role in that success,” said Hornell Mayor John Buckley. “Alstom’s continued investment in our city has not only created high-quality jobs and driven economic growth here in Hornell but has also delivered substantial benefits to the surrounding communities and the entire region. This collaboration strengthens Hornell’s position as a leader in transportation innovation and manufacturing. We are deeply grateful to Governor Hochul and Alstom for their ongoing support and commitment to our community’s future.”

Alstom invited me to attend the ribbon-cutting on Monday and tour the plant, a “second-round” tour for me after I got the opportunity last year to walk through the building as its tools and robots were still being installed.

And as impressive as Plant 4 is, what’s even more evident is the tremendous effect this $75 million investment had, and continues to have, on this small Southern Tier community.

“When we invest in American manufacturing, we create good jobs that have a ripple effect across the entire region. We’re not just building trains — we are creating opportunities in Hornell and across the country,” said Michael Keroullé, President of Alstom Americas. “Plant 4 upholds our long-standing commitment to making trains in America, and it expands our ability to deliver cutting-edge rail solutions for our customers. We thank Governor Hochul and all our state, local and federal partners for their support.”

Rail manufacturing of one sort or another goes back 170 years in the Hornell area, and residents who work there are very proud that they’re carrying on what is in some cases a three-generations legacy of building railcars or rail systems.