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CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles, other bidders, to submit bids Thursday for MBTA Red and Orange line cars
Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., a manufacturer of urban mass transit vehicles based in China, has made a bid to make cars for the MBTA, and is eyeing the former Westinghouse site in Springfield as a potential location for its operations. Above, the company's Aluminum Alloy Type C Urban Mass Transit vehicle.
The Republican Photo Desk
Jim Kinney | jkinney@repub.com By Jim Kinney | jkinney@repub.com
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on May 13, 2014 at 5:06 PM, updated May 13, 2014 at 5:23 PM
Changchun Railway Vehicles Co.
Gov. Deval Patrick wants MBTA car builder to locate in Western Massachusetts
The Springfield Buzz: Is the City of Firsts poised for a renaissance? You tell us ...
SPRINGFIELD - CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. and its fellow candidates for a $1.5 billion contract supplying Red and Orange line cars for the MBTA must have their bids in Thursday.
CNR Changchun, which has plans to build the cars at the former Westinghouse site on Page Boulevard in East Springfield, will send its bid endorsements from both the Springfield City Council and the East Springfield Neighborhood Council.
"We informally polled the neighborhood at two meetings and there wasn't anyone who thought it was a bad idea," said Kathleen Brown, president of the East Springfield Neighborhood Council. "It will be great to get some manufacturing back on that site."
The Westinghouse had been the proposed location of an Ameristar Casino and had been talked about as a retail complex. Either of those proposals would have generated more traffic and disruption than the rail car factor is expected to create, Brown said.
"We have had manufacturing there for a long time," she said.
The Springfield City Council passed its resolution supporting Changchun at a meeting May 5.
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A Red Line train pulls into the MBTA Park Street station. A Chinese company, Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. hopes to build replacement Red and Orange Line cars in Springfield.
The Republican / Jim Kinney
Applications for the contract are due Thursday. The MBTA is expected to decide on a builder by the end of this year.
A prototype subway car for testing would be due in a year, according to the MBTA and full production would begin in three years.
The MBTA needs at least 226 cars, the agency said in a news release last year – 152 Orange Line cars, replacing the entire fleet of 120, and 74 Red Line cars with an option to increase the fleet to 132. The 43-year-old Red Line cars and 31-year-old Orange Line cars are due for replacement.
The MBTA went without federal funding for the cars, allowing the state to require that final assembly take place in Massachusetts.
Changchun, the largest maker of railway cars in the world, has an agreement to purchase the 40-acre former Westinghouse site with plans to invest $30 million on a rail-car factory, test track and research and development facility that could have 150 to 300 employees.
Changchun looked at 50 sites before taking out an option to buy the Westinghouse site.
There is competition for the business, though.
Corydon Thurston, executive director of the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority, said he knows of six serious bidders, a number down from eight who showed serious interest.
Besides Changchun, bidders include CAF or Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles of Spain, Kawasaki Rail Car. of Japan; Siemans of Germany; Alstom Transport of France; Bombardier of Canada, Hyundai Rotem of South Korea and CNR.
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The William Stanley Businesses Park in Pittsfield, formerly the site of a sprawling General Electric plant, is one possible place where new Red and Orange Line cars for the MBTA could be assembled. Economic development officials in the Berkshires have pledged $2 million to spur the project there. Springfield is also in competition for the plant.
The Republican / Jim Kinney
The William Stanley Businesses Park in Pittsfield, formerly the site of a sprawling General Electric plant, is one possible place where new Red and Orange Line cars for the MBTA could be assembled.
Economic development officials in the Berkshires have pledged $2 million to spur the project there.
Potential bidders besides Changchun have also approached Springfield about other sites in the city.
"None of these bidders have facilities in Massachusetts now, so they would all need to do something," Thurston said.
He said even if the factory goes to Springfield, he'll be interested in making sure Berkshire companies are on board as suppliers of goods and services.
The pics below are just samples of what the actual rail cars might look like.
http://www.masslive.com/business-ne...cnr_changchun_railway_vehicles_other_bid.html
Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., a manufacturer of urban mass transit vehicles based in China, has made a bid to make cars for the MBTA, and is eyeing the former Westinghouse site in Springfield as a potential location for its operations. Above, the company's Aluminum Alloy Type C Urban Mass Transit vehicle.
The Republican Photo Desk
Jim Kinney | jkinney@repub.com By Jim Kinney | jkinney@repub.com
Follow on Twitter
on May 13, 2014 at 5:06 PM, updated May 13, 2014 at 5:23 PM
Changchun Railway Vehicles Co.
Gov. Deval Patrick wants MBTA car builder to locate in Western Massachusetts
The Springfield Buzz: Is the City of Firsts poised for a renaissance? You tell us ...
SPRINGFIELD - CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. and its fellow candidates for a $1.5 billion contract supplying Red and Orange line cars for the MBTA must have their bids in Thursday.
CNR Changchun, which has plans to build the cars at the former Westinghouse site on Page Boulevard in East Springfield, will send its bid endorsements from both the Springfield City Council and the East Springfield Neighborhood Council.
"We informally polled the neighborhood at two meetings and there wasn't anyone who thought it was a bad idea," said Kathleen Brown, president of the East Springfield Neighborhood Council. "It will be great to get some manufacturing back on that site."
The Westinghouse had been the proposed location of an Ameristar Casino and had been talked about as a retail complex. Either of those proposals would have generated more traffic and disruption than the rail car factor is expected to create, Brown said.
"We have had manufacturing there for a long time," she said.
The Springfield City Council passed its resolution supporting Changchun at a meeting May 5.
biz train.jpg
View full size
A Red Line train pulls into the MBTA Park Street station. A Chinese company, Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. hopes to build replacement Red and Orange Line cars in Springfield.
The Republican / Jim Kinney
Applications for the contract are due Thursday. The MBTA is expected to decide on a builder by the end of this year.
A prototype subway car for testing would be due in a year, according to the MBTA and full production would begin in three years.
The MBTA needs at least 226 cars, the agency said in a news release last year – 152 Orange Line cars, replacing the entire fleet of 120, and 74 Red Line cars with an option to increase the fleet to 132. The 43-year-old Red Line cars and 31-year-old Orange Line cars are due for replacement.
The MBTA went without federal funding for the cars, allowing the state to require that final assembly take place in Massachusetts.
Changchun, the largest maker of railway cars in the world, has an agreement to purchase the 40-acre former Westinghouse site with plans to invest $30 million on a rail-car factory, test track and research and development facility that could have 150 to 300 employees.
Changchun looked at 50 sites before taking out an option to buy the Westinghouse site.
There is competition for the business, though.
Corydon Thurston, executive director of the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority, said he knows of six serious bidders, a number down from eight who showed serious interest.
Besides Changchun, bidders include CAF or Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles of Spain, Kawasaki Rail Car. of Japan; Siemans of Germany; Alstom Transport of France; Bombardier of Canada, Hyundai Rotem of South Korea and CNR.
bizmo pittsfield plant.jpg
View full size
The William Stanley Businesses Park in Pittsfield, formerly the site of a sprawling General Electric plant, is one possible place where new Red and Orange Line cars for the MBTA could be assembled. Economic development officials in the Berkshires have pledged $2 million to spur the project there. Springfield is also in competition for the plant.
The Republican / Jim Kinney
The William Stanley Businesses Park in Pittsfield, formerly the site of a sprawling General Electric plant, is one possible place where new Red and Orange Line cars for the MBTA could be assembled.
Economic development officials in the Berkshires have pledged $2 million to spur the project there.
Potential bidders besides Changchun have also approached Springfield about other sites in the city.
"None of these bidders have facilities in Massachusetts now, so they would all need to do something," Thurston said.
He said even if the factory goes to Springfield, he'll be interested in making sure Berkshire companies are on board as suppliers of goods and services.
The pics below are just samples of what the actual rail cars might look like.
http://www.masslive.com/business-ne...cnr_changchun_railway_vehicles_other_bid.html
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