Rochelle Manufacturer to Bring American Passenger Rail into the 21st Century

ROCHELLE - Governor Quinn stops in the Stateline on Monday to make a big announcement for one of the area's newest and largest employers. 

Railcar manufacturer, Nippon Sharyo in Rochelle has secured a new contract to begin making high-speed cars.  It's a $352 million investment in the Japan-based company, which means more sustained work for the near 300 new employees at the plant the borders I-39.  

The governor thanked all the workers at the Rochelle factory for doing what they do during his stop at the facility.  Many workers, however, are thanking him and the federal government for this new contract, which is on top of a $585 million dollar contract with Metra that the plant started out with when it opened in July.  These two contracts combined make for almost a billion dollars in investment for Nippon Sharyo's Rochelle location.

"It's back to the future for the State of Illinois," said Gov. Quinn.  "Our state for years and years was a center of railcar manufacturing in the whole country and we're going to do that again in the 21^st century."

Workers at Nippon Sharyo will supply cars for high speed rail lines currently under construction in California and here in Illinois.  Quinn mentioned the line from Chicago to St. Louis that's currently being worked on and the line from Chicago to Detroit that is helping to employ people in the Stateline.  U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, says Stateliners are helping create a new era in passenger rail.

"What you all are doing is historic," said LaHood.  "You're providing the next generation of transportation, not only for Illinois but for America."

Illinois Amtrak ridership is up from 75% over the last six years and is up an astonishing 224% on that Chicago to St. Louis line which is being transitioned to high speed. 

"The trains that you're going to build are going to service those people on that corridor," said Illinois Secretary of Transportation Ann Schneider about that Chicago to St. Louis line.

"The trains you're going to build are going to increase capacity and make it even more successful by allowing for more passengers to ride along that corridor within the same footprint."

Currently the frames of the railcars are produced in Japan and then shipped to the States to be outfitted in Rochelle.  With the addition of a secondary plant in Rochelle, that work will be transitioned to America, therefore creating a completely "Made in America" product.  Governor Quinn says Illinois and Nippon Sharyo is open for business.

"We're here to announce to any other transit agency across the United States that we know how to build those railcars," said Gov. Quinn.

"We have men and women in this state who have great skill, great craftsmanship; we understand manufacturing."

Unfortunately manufacturing railcars in the Stateline doesn't mean that the area will receive passenger rail service anytime soon.  Governor Quinn mentioned the proposed Chicago to Dubuque, IA line that would stop in Rockford, however there wasn't a date mentioned on when construction on that line might actually start.