Chinese firm wins $567M contract to build rail cars in Springfield

[TaiShang]

The nuclear age makes transition of power by means of a deliberately waged hegemonic war unthinkable. So, what is the logical way to race to the top peacefully -- if ever there is such an intent? Economic development. China's opening up to the world as an equal agency and the world's opening up to China is essentially a good thing for all.

 

[cnleio]

well good thing China only holds a small part of our debt. defaulting big deal everyone does it at least once right

I knew, most debts owned by American ppl but China is the biggest foreign owner and becoming bigger.

Anyway enjoy ur CRH trains in North America, Sino-U.S trade is all we like to see. No doubt future more CRH railways will land U.S.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

It is not the first time, buddy. During the American Industrial Revolution, it was the Chinese hard laborers who toiled away to help build American railways. This was 140-150 years ago. They don't get enough credit, but credit is owed where its due. One can even argue that China indirectly helped America's industrialization in the 19th century.

1849 California Gold Rush - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1863 First Transcontinental Railroad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

I knew, most debts owned by American ppl but China is the biggest foreign owner and becoming bigger.

Anyway enjoy ur CRH trains in North America, Sino-U.S trade is all we like to see. No doubt future more CRH railways will land U.S.

Well for the Massachusetts subway its more like this CNR train:

 

[cnleio]

Well for the Massachusetts subway its more like this CNR train:

LOL it looks U.S also need China subway to replace ur old train. Good opportunity for Made in China !

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

LOL it looks U.S also need China subway to replace ur old train. Good opportunity for Made in China !

That's what the Springfield place in the OP is going to build...Massachusetts subway cars.

View attachment 137612

Ugh! Well that is not much of an improvement (if any) over the inside of our 44+ year old trains:

Hopefully Springfield can bring your CNR interior into the 21st century.
Plastic in the seats isn't going to handle abuse well.

 

[tomluter]

LOL it looks U.S also need China subway to replace ur old train. Good opportunity for Made in China !

View attachment 137610
View attachment 137611
View attachment 137612
View attachment 137613

Plastic seats?it is rare in China.
new cars run in China have electric heating stainless steel seats typically.

 

[pher]

That's what the Springfield place in the OP is going to build...Massachusetts subway cars.



Ugh! Well that is not much of an improvement (if any) over the inside of our 44+ year old trains:

View attachment 137618

Hopefully Springfield can bring your CNR interior into the 21st century.
Plastic in the seats isn't going to handle abuse well.

want more comfortable? pay the money if you are capable of.

also forget about 21 st century, first figure out a way to deal with the problem of your 19th century coaches operating all over US today. Look at the pathetic condition of your current raillway system.

 

[Keel]

Viewpoint: CNR Changchun's plan to build facility in Springfield complements bright future for region

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, speaks ,with members of the media left as Richard Davey, right looks on at the former Westinghouse plant in Springfield, where he announced at that CNR Company will be building a plant where they will build Changchun Railway vehicles for use by the MBTA. ( MARK M. MURRAY / THE REPUBLICAN )
By The Republican Editorials
on October 21, 2014 at 4:37 PM, updated October 21, 2014 at 6:51 PM

By George Arwady

The last time the community was invited to the old Westinghouse site on Page Boulevard it witnessed the unveiling of Ameristar’s doomed casino proposal.

Tuesday’s announcement on the same property by Gov. Deval Patrick was nowhere as glitzy, but vastly more significant for the future of Springfield and potentially all of Western Massachusetts.

The governor revealed that CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. will build a 125,000-square-foot rail car assembly plant and a 33,700-square-foot office building on this East Springfield graveyard of 7,000 good-paying industrial jobs. The factory’s initial work will be to assemble $1.5 billion worth of new cars for Boston’s Red and Orange lines, but the Chinese plan to make this their North American headquarters.

In a way, this announcement is an early fruit of Massachusetts’ innovative gaming law, which forced casino companies to compete to get a license. Ameristar’s failed gamble produced a shovel-ready site for Changchun.

Thank you, Ameristar.

CNR initially will employ 150-300 employees, but there is potential for many more jobs, not just at the Chinese company but at its vendors, suppliers and transporters. If the area takes full advantage, you could, for example, see our colleges and universities expand their language programs and technical know-how to spawn innovations in rail transportation.

“CNR will create good, family supporting jobs for our skilled trades, and stimulate a logistically convenient vendor network that will make our region even more attractive for additional rail car manufacturing and assembly,” said Allan Blair, president of theEconomic Development Council of Western Massachusetts.

You could develop a cluster of Chinese companies here, much as Battle Creek, MI, developed a large cluster of Japanese auto-parts manufacturers.

The opportunity presented by CNR is vast. The United States, which is woefully far behind the rest of the world in rail, has no domestic manufacturer of rail cars. CNR plans to bid on high speed rail for the entire northeast, and beyond.

Few people noticed, but the first of this month marked the 50th anniversary of the first “bullet train” in Japan, which revolutionized modern rail by going 130 mph. Today, a half-century later, the fastest train in the U.S. is a short leg between Washington and Wilmington, Delaware; it travels up to 109 mph. Meanwhile, seven countries have service in excess of 200 mph, with the next Japanese train planned to hit 314 mph.

View full size
Wason Manufacturing Company of Springfield, founded in 1845, built railway cars, car wheels and did general railway work. Library of Congress

Springfield was the home of the Wason Manufacturing Company, founded in the North End in 1845, which employed hundreds and was the rail car industry leader. The Chinese, with their long view of history, made mention of Wason when visiting Springfield earlier this year. Now it's possible that we could see history repeat itself here. Globalization, which cost New England so many jobs, may actually start to produce good-paying, high-tech manufacturing jobs in America.

“Today’s announcement is further evidence that Springfield is a city on the move,” said Kevin Kennedy, the City of Springfield’s chief development officer.

Kennedy quickly listed off other city projects: the upcoming remaking of Union Station, which also received a $4 million boost from the governor on Tuesday; the new rail service from New Haven to Vermont; the refurbishing of Morgan Square apartments, UMass Springfield downtown campus, and of course the $800 million MGM casino downtown.

If voters say “no” to casino Question 3 on the November 4 ballot, the last barrier to MGM will be removed, and Springfield may well remember this autumn as the turn-around season for its economy and can look forward to a brighter economic future for the entire region.

“Together with Westover in Chicopee, Barnes in Westfield, a High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke and the splendor of the Berkshires, Western Massachusetts is positioned to be a great place to live, work and play in the 21st century with Springfield as its regional capital,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy’s boss, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, is the grandson of a Westinghouse worker. He’s developed a strong partnership with Gov. Patrick, who has been the best governor on Western Massachusetts issues in decades. The CNR decision, coming in the last months of Patrick’s term, is the most important fruit of that partnership. The word for it is leadership.

We’re riding the rails back to the future. And that future can be very bright.
George Arwady is publisher and CEO of The Republican


MBTA subway work coming to Springfield; CNR Changchun Railway of China to build Orange and Red line cars | masslive.com

 

[AgentOrange]

Mass public transportation will never take in the US. Car Culture is fundamentally American and owning your own car and driving where you want is as much a part of what it means to be American (IMO) as apple pie and cheeseburgers. I'm not trying to be facetious, by the way. Just saying that to Americans (and Canadians) a car means freedom both literally and figuratively.

 

[Aepsilons]

Mass public transportation will never take in the US. Car Culture is fundamentally American and owning your own car and driving where you want is as much a part of what it means to be American (IMO) as apple pie and cheeseburgers. I'm not trying to be facetious, by the way. Just saying that to Americans (and Canadians) a car means freedom both literally and figuratively.

Agreed. I've discussed this issue with @LeveragedBuyout and @SvenSvensonov in an another thread , there are factors that limit a wide-scale HSR system from being developed in the United States. For one, states' have to agree to this as they have the power to negate it, any wide scale HSR problem will also face stiff resistance from: 1) environmental groups, 2) airline companies, 3) busing companies, 4) established railway network systems (ergo, amtrak). Your reference to North American car culture is also poignant.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

The United States, which is woefully far behind the rest of the world in rail

That's because we fly from point to point instead of taking the train.
Nobody takes a train to travel long distances.

The only time people take a train is for their commute to work and the average distance for a rail commuter is 12 miles.

 

[Keel]

Keel said: ↑
The United States, which is woefully far behind the rest of the world in rail

That's because we fly from point to point instead of taking the train.
Nobody takes a train to travel long distances.

The only time people take a train is for their commute to work and the average distance for a rail commuter is 12 miles.

Sneaky man, why you have to erase the whole context in my posting on #24 and re-write it in your own words as a quote from me like a frustrated Indian?

 

[LeveragedBuyout]

I, for one, welcome our new Chinese overlords. Just like Japanese investment in the 1980s helped us get back on our feet, I am certain that the wave of Chinese FDI will do the same for this generation.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Agreed. I've discussed this issue with @LeveragedBuyout and @SvenSvensonov in an another thread , there are factors that limit a wide-scale HSR system from being developed in the United States. For one, states' have to agree to this as they have the power to negate it, any wide scale HSR problem will also face stiff resistance from: 1) environmental groups, 2) airline companies, 3) busing companies, 4) established railway network systems (ergo, amtrak). Your reference to North American car culture is also poignant.

Certainly having a HSR system connecting all 50 states wouldn't be a bad thing. We already did a draconian Eminent domain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia to build the highway system in the 1950's so we could leverage that land.

Let's snap our fingers and imagine it is there right now.
Who is going to be using it daily...

The US already has this policy of discouraging businesses from piling up in major urban centers. For example you have tech belts like Silicon Valley and Route 128. Elaborate office parks way out in the suburbs (vs in cities). States trying to spread congestion outwards....NOT inwards.

To get around this with HSR you either will have to thread the line towards a myriad of suburban hubs (not efficient) or have some central drop off spot with spiraling sub lines that you connect to (like the current commuter rail system).

The question is how many people would leverage a state-to-state in their daily commute.