Alstom misses Brightline West high speed rail bid. What it means for Hornell workforce.

Alstom’s Hornell workforce is currently in the midst of crafting 28 Avelia Liberty trainsets for Amtrak. The next-generation Acela trains will service the Northeast Corridor and hit speeds of 160 miles per hour.

What’s next for the Hornell crews producing the trains is also a bit of a blur.

Last week, Brightline West named Siemens the preferred bidder for a high-speed rail project connecting Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The contract calls for the construction of a fleet of 10 “American Pioneer 220” (AP 220) train sets delivered in time for service to begin in 2028.

Alstom was a finalist for the work, the bulk of which would have been completed in Hornell if the company won the contract.

“It was fully our intention to build the trains there from Day 1 to leverage the expertise we’ve built up in the process of doing the Liberty trains, and take that to this next project,” said Dani Simons, Alstom’s vice president of Communications and Public Affairs.

“In comparison, Siemens has requested a Buy America waiver to build the first two full trains in Germany and then they’re going to try to localize their supply chain and their manufacturing after that.”

Brightline’s $12 billion project was awarded $3 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in 2021, which included “Buy America” requirements aimed at boosting U.S. industry.

While the initial work will be conducted overseas, Siemens said it will ultimately establish a new facility to build the AP220 on U.S. soil. The location will be announced when the contract is finalized, the company said. The Siemens’ AP220 trainsets will mark an “evolution” of the existing Velaro platform that operates in Europe.

Brightline and Siemens previously collaborated on the Venture trains that entered service in 2018 on the company’s Florida system.

Hornell union reacts to Brightline decision

Ahead of the decision, Armin Bishop-Miller, president of IAM Local 2471 in Hornell, noted the Avelia Liberty is close to wrapping up years of extensive safety testing and “is designed for even higher speeds than what’s proposed for Brightline West.”

“With the ability to operate up to 220 mph, this state-of-the-art train is ready to roll on Brightline West from day one,” Bishop-Miller said.

Bishop-Miller also said the Buy America exemption could delay the project and threaten American union jobs. Alstom had just under 615 employees based in Hornell at the time of the Brightline decision.

“IAM Rail Division members at the Hornell facility possess the skills and expertise necessary to deliver top-quality transportation solutions, as evidenced by their production of high-speed trains for Amtrak’s Acela service,” IAM stated after Brightline tapped Siemens for the project.

The union said it “remains committed to advocating for the interests of American workers and ensuring that future high-speed rail projects prioritize domestic production and employment.”

What’s next for high-speed rail projects in Hornell

The addition of the Brightline contract would have lined up well with Alstom’s remaining Amtrak work. The last Avelia Liberty train is currently scheduled to leave Hornell in September 2025.

Simons said those 28 trains represent “about two-thirds of all of the high-speed trains that are being built or in the pipeline to be built in the next few years for U.S. high-speed rail.”

Opportunities for new high-speed contracts may be rare in the coming years. The next open Request for Proposals is for Phase 1 of the California High Speed Rail project, calling for six trainsets.

“The future pipeline for the U.S. is smaller than the current project,” said Simons. “We hope and we’re optimistic it will grow over time. This (Biden) administration has stressed that high speed rail is a priority, and they want to see progress on it accelerate.

“We’re hopeful, but right now the pipeline remains a little bit small.”

Alstom continues to target work in Hornell

Alstom’s Hornell operation isn’t entirely dependent on high-speed projects. The company recently invested tens of millions in a new 135,000 square-foot rail car manufacturing facility on Shawmut Park Drive to handle fresh contracts.

In 2021, Alstom was awarded up to $1.8 billion by Metra to manufacture 200 rail cars in Hornell, with options for up to 300 more.

In 2023, Alstom announced a new contract with SEPTA, valued at approximately $718.2 million, to build 130 streetcars with an option for 30 more. The work is expected to keep the plant busy through the end of the decade.

While those projects ramp up, Alstom is exploring options to feed more work into Hornell.

"We’re definitely looking at ways we can continue to leverage the skilled workforce and the manufacturing footprint we have there, because it’s a great facility and the workforce is super talented," said Simons. "We want to make sure we continue to take advantage of what we’ve built and what the employees there have built."

Simons said Alstom was encouraged by the support it received from IAM, employees and local elected officials during its pursuit of the Brightline contract.

“People feel really invested in the success of the manufacturing facility in Hornell,” she said. “That’s something that was very meaningful in this whole process. Even though we’re disappointed it didn’t go the other way, that gratitude remains and our commitment to Hornell remains.”

This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Alstom misses Brightline West project. What it means for Hornell