Inside the new car Orange Line train (model) set to build in Springfield
The Chinese company to build new Red Line and Orange cars U S. ambitions
When groundbreaking ceremony Thursday on a plant 60 million Springfield where new MBTA Red and Orange line cars will be built, it could represent a major opportunity for the Chinese company behind it.
The 566 million 284 new cars construction contract is the first foray into the railway Stock North America to China Rolling Corp and CRRC doesn t want the concert of Massachusetts to be her last on the continent.
It is the first project in the U S What we're completely focused on the next is to get the right Weiping Yu, a CRRC vice president who heads its operations abroad, said through a translator.
It will be an experience, but we want to make a real good example for us, for our future development in the U S, he added.
When CRRC won the MBTA contract last year, he was named CRN Since then, the company owned by the Chinese government, merged with another rail supplier in China, which would strengthen its position in the search International contracts the merger created a company that dominates China, with 80 percent of railway vehicles in the country dating back to CCRR, according to the Associated Press.
The company also already has an extensive international presence, with more than 40 subsidiaries that have done work in about 100 countries, according to Yu.
But never in North America Plant Springfield, which is expected to employ 150 local workers, will also serve as headquarters in North American society.
In recent years about 60, the car is focused on infrastructure U But Yu said he sees this process as an opportunity for rail manufacturers Due to the design longstanding stock of cars, it awaits transport must ultimately new bubble to the forefront.
Infrastructure in the US is not great, and does not lead in the world, he said he said he had a wobbly experience on Amtrak, she also reported the first US customer for his business MBTA for exemple.
When I went to speak at Harvard, I took the train subway and it was noisy, it was not the best experience, he said he is a great time for us to look for opportunities here to try to once we help deliver new cars to the two lines, I guarantee you, commuters can enjoy their music through their headphones.
Augustine Ubaldi, a railway engineering expert for the firm of consultants Robson Forensic, said he expects many opportunities to stand on the transit market U S.
Suddenly, we have become a network of highways, he said And now it's kind of turned back around, we can not just keep building more and more highways, so why don t we go back to transit.
David Clarke, director of the Transportation Research Center at the University of Tennessee, said he is skeptical any newcomer can have great success by focusing on rail work underground or suburban While the needs transit in the United States could develop, it is unlikely that he would grow fast enough to keep everyone too busy world, he said.
There is a demand in the U S for this type of equipment, but not enough demand, he said.
Clarke said the best game of CRRC may be entering the United States to establish a foot, with an eye toward bidding on future rail projects at high speed here, he said the company may be a benefit for this kind of work, because of the success of high-speed trains in China.
As CRRC seeks other work in North America, he probably found compete a number of global companies Some of them, including Bombardier of Canada, Hyundai Rotem of South Korea, and Kawasaki of Japan's offer on the MBTA contract, losing to CRRC other major international players, including Siemens of Germany and France Alstom.
Yu said he believes the company will be competitive in the North American market, because it can keep costs down, it was the lowest bidder for the contract and MBTA because of its experience overseas and in China.
With the MBTA's backlog of repairs to achieve good operating now up to 7 3000000000 Yu said the company would do well to explore other work with the transit system at bay He said he followed news throughout the winter, repeated snowstorms delayed and canceled service.
The first cars Orange line should be delivered from the Springfield plant in 2018, with the first cars Red Line following the next year, the project should be completed by 2023 new cars on the orange line will replace cars are over 30 years, and the new Red Line cars will replace vehicles over 40.
Meanwhile, the company could look for another job in North America, said Yu But much to find these alternatives is to perform well in Massachusetts, he said.
By focusing on getting the project right Springfield, certainly we will also consider other opportunities to enter the US market, Yu said, but that's not our priority Our priority is to get this thing is really solid, do it well.
It starts Thursday with the opening of the Springfield plant.
The Chinese company to build new cars Red Line and Orange U, Chinese company building.