GE Plans Texas Locomotive Plant Near Buffett’s Burlington

[mahatmakanejeeves]

This is several days old and thus not LBN.

Hat tip to Trainorders.com: GE to build locomotives in Fort Worth

GE Plans Texas Locomotive Plant Near Buffett’s Burlington

By Rachel Layne - May 12, 2011 2:12 PM ET

General Electric Co. (GE) plans to open a locomotive plant employing more than 500 people in Fort Worth, Texas, the hometown of Warren Buffett’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe, as demand rises for railroad shipments.

GE Transportation will invest as much as $96 million at the first U.S. factory outside its Erie, Pennsylvania, base in more than a century. That hiring and 250 new jobs in Erie will push the unit’s global workforce to about 10,000 employees, said Lorenzo Simonelli, the business’s chief executive officer.

“Since April, we’ve announced hiring nearly 1,000 employees,” Simonelli said today in a telephone interview. “North America we feel good about, but we also feel good about emerging markets. We see a good runway ahead.”

Expanding into Texas gives GE Transportation a manufacturing base in the state with the most railroad route miles in the U.S. Texas is served chiefly by Union Pacific Corp. (UNP), whose Union Pacific Railroad is the nation’s biggest by sales, and Burlington Northern, owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK/A)

[TimLighter]

1. Pennsylvania Unions are fighting a right to work law

Texas is a right to work state.

Do the math.

[elleng]

3. Right but

things in the U.S. railroad industry have changed dramatically since Pennsylvania was its haven.

[elleng]

2. Interesting good news,

but if their interest in 'emerging markets' reflects perceived relative lack of movement in North America, not so good for us; freight rail movements is a leading indicator of economy.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. I'm on the AAR (Association of American Railroads) listserv.

I get a daily email dose of information from them, including weekly carloading reports. I'm at the library, and I'm about to lose my computer slot. I can send you the link if you want.

[elleng]

5. Would love to see it.

Worked at ICC for 20+ years, heavily involved in rail mergers.