Local officials are touting the recent announcement that a big rail equipment contract has been won by a company with a Southern Tier operation.
News of the contract that will help Alstom operations in Hornell came late last week, as part of an announcement made by Vice President Joe Biden about a nearly two and a half billion dollar loan to Amtrak from the federal government.
With that loan, Amtrak will be buying 28 trains for high speed rail service in the Northeast Corridor, and the trains will be built at Alstom’s facility in Hornell.
It’s estimated that will create about 400 jobs in Hornell and potentially another 350 or so additional jobs across upstate New York.
Senator Charles Schumer, Congressman Tom Reed and State Senator Tom O’Mara all issued statements praising the impact of the deal on New York State and the Southern Tier specifically.
O’Mara, says the creation of 400 manufacturing jobs at Alstom cannot be overstated in terms of its impact on the Southern Tier economy.
The Alstom contract also includes the company providing long-term technical support and spare parts.
