Stadler expands with new plant in Salt Lake City

After renting a service plant from the Utah Transit Authority in 2016 to build its TEXRail trains, Stadler has confirmed its commitment to the area by beginning construction of its very own Utah plant, which will be used to assemble efficient, lightweight multiple unit trains for the American market. In June 2015, Stadler received an order from the Fort Worth Transportation Authority for eight new FLIRT trains. The fact that federal funds were being used for the order made it subject to the Buy America Act, and for the first time Stadler was required to find a location in the USA where the TEXRail trains could be built. The infrastructure of the former Union Pacific plant in Salt Lake City was well suited to the requirements of the TEXRail order. The TEXRail FLIRT is the first FLIRT to be built in the USA. When Stadler received a major contract from Caltrain for the construction of 16 bi-level trains in August 2016, the company realised it needed a larger production area. The decision to stay in Utah was based on the state’s economic conditions and its political environment. The ground breaking ceremony for the new Stadler plant was held on October 13. The plant has been designed to accommodate around 350 workstations, but can be upgraded on a modular basis at any time. Its 62-acre property boasts 75’000 square-feet of production space for the bogie, main, pre- and final assembly of single- and bi-level trains. In addition to storage and handling areas, test tracks will be set up for the commissioning of the trains. Office spaces and an employee cafeteria are also located on the site.