Majority Leader Schumer Announces Siemens To Build A New, High Speed Rail Manufacturing Factory Following Passage Of Historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Creating Good[...]

Elmira, N.Y. - Following his relentless advocacy, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announces Siemens is planning a new manufacturing hub to build high-speed railcars for line connecting California to Las Vegas.

Following the passage of the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Law, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) today announced that Siemens Mobility will build its first-of-its-kind high-speed rail manufacturing facility in Horseheads, New York, creating new good-paying jobs producing America's fastest high-speed trainsets, the American Pioneer 220, for Brightline West, that will connect Las Vegas to Southern California.

"High-speed rail is the next chapter of America's transportation future. What only a few years ago seemed like a dream, is now becoming a reality because of the bipartisan infrastructure and jobs law. Now, it's full steam ahead for America's high-speed rail - and this future will be powered by union workers with good-paying jobs in Upstate NY the birthplace of American rail," said Leader Schumer. "With the passage of historic legislation last Congress, Democrats made a promise to the American people to revitalize hard-working communities and to help American families recover and envision a brighter future. These investments are paying dividends today and will continue to benefit American workers for generations to come."

Majority Leader Schumer has been a relentless champion for improving America's rail systems thanks, most recently, to the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The law makes the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak, with over $66 billion in new investment. That investment includes $30 billion to Amtrak and in FRA competitive grants to modernize the Northeast Corridor, $16 billion to Amtrak to modernize its national network, supporting the procurement of new rail cars for the national network, and $12 billion in competitive grants for states to compete to expand their intercity passenger rail networks.

The American Pioneer 220 will be the fastest high-speed train sets to be built in America and are designed for operational speeds of up to 220 miles per hour. The seven-car trains will carry up to 450 passengers and are expected to travel from Las Vegas to Southern California in two hours-half the time it takes by car. The Brightline project is a $12 billion public-private partnership with Nevada DOT to build a Las Vegas-to-Los Angeles high-speed rail system and broke ground earlier this year.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) recently announced a Voluntary Recognition Agreement and has reached a memorandum of understanding with Siemens to represent employees who will build the future trains for this project. According to Siemens, production at the facility is expected to begin in 2026.

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