Posted on 06/25/2010 3:33:50 AM PDT by Willie Green
Duke University analysis of U.S. rail manufacturing shows that Pennsylvania has 26 rail manufacturing facilities, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia
The U.S. rail manufacturing industry stands to undergo considerable growth in the coming years, as Amtrak upgrades its railcars and adds high-speed trains, and as lawmakers consider a transportation bill that calls for significantly greater investments in public transit, including rail, according to a new study by Duke University prepared for the Apollo Alliance. Pennsylvania, which is home to 26 rail-manufacturing facilities and is planning its own high-speed rail network, would reap major benefits from such a bill.
"Our research found that there is a healthy chain of U.S.-based suppliers that manufacture components and systems for rail cars, and many of them are located in Pennsylvania," said Marcy Lowe, a senior research analyst at the Duke University Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness (CGGC) and the report's lead author.
The report, U.S. Manufacture of Rail Vehicles for Intercity Passenger Rail and Urban Transit: A Value Chain Analysis, looks at the manufacture of U.S. rail vehicles in six categories: intercity passenger, high speed, regional, metro, light rail and streetcars. It finds that the U.S. rail supply chain includes at least 247 manufacturing locations in 35 states. The states with the most manufacturing facilities are New York (32 rail manufacturing facilities), Pennsylvania (26), Illinois (23), California (22) and Ohio (13). Although the U.S. rail manufacturing industry is small -- the report's authors estimate its employment at between 10,000 and 14,000 employees -- industry analysts expect it to grow due to pent-up demand for intercity and urban rail service.
"Pennsylvania has a real chance to be at the center of America's 21st century rail manufacturing industry," said Phil Angelides, chairman of the Apollo Alliance. "Our nation needs a new transportation policy that invests in expanded public transit and more energy-efficient transportation, including rail. Done right, these investments could mean a windfall of manufacturing jobs for Pennsylvanians."
Another study released today, by Transportation for America and the Economic Policy Institute, finds that a $500B transportation bill that invests heavily in public transit will create 7.2 million jobs across the economy, including 761,321 manufacturing jobs, of which 168,024 jobs would be located in the rail manufacturing sector. For more information, visit www.t4america.org.
The Duke University rail study found that manufacturers with facilities in Pennsylvania are Bombardier Transportation (Pittsburgh); Brookville Equipment (Brookville); Hyundai Rotem (Philadelphia); Kasgro Rail (New Castle); GE Transportation (Erie and Grove City); Amsted Industries (Camp Hill); Ansaldo STS USA (Pittsburgh); Bentech (Philadelphia); CAM Innovation Inc (Hanover); Converteam Inc (Pittsburgh); Mitsubishi Electric (Pittsburgh); North American Specialty Glass (Trumbauersville); ORX Railway (Tipton); Penn Machine Company (Blairsville); PHW (East Pittsburgh); Standard Steel (Pittsburgh and Burnham); USSC Group (Exton); UTC Rail Inc (Morton); Westcode Inc (Wilmerding and Greensburg); WEXCO Industries (Philadelphia); Young Windows (Conshohocken); and ZF Sachs Automotive of America (Pittsburgh). They produce a variety of equipment, including driving control systems, door systems, engines and windows.
A similar study on transit bus manufacturing released by Duke researchers in October 2009 identified eight transit bus-manufacturing facilities in Pennsylvania. These companies also would benefit from increased public transit investments in a new transportation bill.
The report's authors conclude that to grow the U.S. rail manufacturing industry will require committing much larger and more consistent U.S. investments to intercity passenger and urban transit rail. The report also recommends that Buy America provisions be improved through additional accountability mechanisms and the closing of loopholes. Finally, it recommends that policymakers and manufacturers implement measures to capture higher-value activities in the supply chain, such as design and engineering, for the U.S. market. Currently those activities are mostly performed abroad.
Edited to fit.
What will the government do — force people at gunpoint to ride trains?
What a friggin’ waste of the taxpayer’s money!
“Invest” == take taxpayer dollars at the barrel of a gun to subsidize train fanatics’ big toys.
Half a billion and counting, not including operating costs, repairs, maintenance( deaths of tens of million dollar bleeding cuts) to get to a tax subsidized ball park a few times a year and a junk, poor payoff rinky dink casino.
Yeah, that’s some productive ‘investments’ that pay off with union jobs, more taxes, more repairs....
The tragic thing about that tunnel is that it will only be used when the Steelers and Pirates are in town...maybe. That money could have been used to fix the sorry roads and bridges around Pittsburgh or to improve already existing mass transit (the kind people ride EVERY DAY).
That's it? Duke couldn't find any more than that? And quite a few of those are foreign companies: Bombardier, Hyundai, Ansaldo, Converteam, Mitsubishi, Westcode, and ZF Sachs. And I believe that most of the American companies listed are small ones.
“Although the U.S. rail manufacturing industry is small — the report’s authors estimate its employment at between 10,000 and 14,000 employees — industry analysts expect it to grow due to pent-up demand for intercity and urban rail service.”
If unions are involved, expect that business to go to China.
What will the government do — force people at gunpoint to ride trains?
No, here in the United States, people freely choose to use mass transit if it's an available alternative.
What a friggin’ waste of the taxpayer’s money!
American commuters make over 27 million trips on mass transit systems DAILY.
They, and their employers, are all taxpayers who benefit from this form of transportation.
It is economically irresponsible to flippantly dismiss transit funding as "a waste".
Have you ever ridden on Amtrak?
I have.
50 empty seats for every person on board.
That's it? Duke couldn't find any more than that?
This article only focuses on companies located in Pennsylvania.
For companies located elsewhere, you'll have to look-up the full report from Duke University.
Self propelled street cars might be the way to go if old railbeds can be reclaimed.
I live in southwest Washington State. We have a transit bus, paid for by federal tax dollars, that cruises around town empty the majority of time.
AMTRAC runs daily between Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington. It, too, is mostly empty. The automobiles on Interstate 5, running nearly parallel with AMTRAC, move faster. Three people in an automobile can travel more cheaply than those same three people could riding AMTRAC.
Like I said, albeit tongue in cheek, will the government force people at gunpoint to ride trains?
It’s provable waste. It can not fund its construction. It requires funds collected at the point of a government gun.
Mass transit can not even generate the cash flow for day to day operation, let alone paying off bonds, or maintaining the infrastructure.
But, it isn’t a ‘waste’.
Let’s recap. It can not fund,run, or maintain itself. So, it must be then what, productive? Wealth producing? Cost effective?
Do you support this?
LLS
AMTRAC (or is it Amtrak - you’re most likely correct!) is exactly what I’m talking about.
Detroit to Chicago this weekend round trip via Southwest Airlines: $137
Why would I choose Amtrak?
Let the people leave. Or stay. It’s not a problem.
“No one goes there anymore, it’s too crowded”
Crowds=success.
Being one of them I can attest to the fact that government is not the answer. My bus is private and gets almost no government subsidies. The 10% or so of operating costs that the state gives is not nearly enough to make up for taxes (diesel, business taxes, etc). Private mass transit like my bus is a freebie for the government and is milked to subsidize your stupendously wasteful government mass transit.
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