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What few realize, however, is that many of the trains are built right here in Yonkers.
For the past quarter of a century, Kawasaki Rail Car has created its passenger cars inside the former Otis Elevator factory in the heart of the city’s downtown. It supplies the trains to several transit systems including the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North, as well as places like New York City, New Jersey, Boston and Taipei City in Taiwan.
On Thursday, dozens of elected officials and transportation leaders gathered inside the sprawling warehouse in iPark to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the plant’s coming to Yonkers.
“This is a great milestone for Kawasaki, “said Kyohei Matsuoka, President of Rolling Stock Company and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. “Kawasaki is proud of its history of working together with the government, customers and supplies for mutual harmony and benefit.”
Kawasaki came to Yonkers in the mid-1980’s, working with then-governor Mario Cuomo. It was at a time when manufacturing jobs in Yonkers, and throughout New York state, were on the decline as other large companies were shuttering their doors.
Still, the rail car company said it saw an opportunity in the city.
“Kawasaki viewed Yonkers as the best location for rail car manufacturing because it is within the MTA regions, the biggest customer in the U.S.A, as well as many transit authorities in the northeast corridor,” said Hiroki Iwasaki, CEO of Kawasaki Rail Car.
Since coming to the city, more than 2,500 cars have rolled out of the Wells Avenue warehouse. Currently, Kawasaki is working on the next generation of 7 line subway cars that will be part of the New York City transit system, running from Times Square to Flushing.
Working with the car’s stainless steel shells, shipped to Yonkers from Nebraska, nearly 400 laborers assemble the final product, pressing steeling, welding it together and putting the finishing touches on the state-of-the-art rail cars.
Outside the plant, near the Yonkers Metro-North Train station, the cars are tested on tracks before being sent out into the transit systems.
In the process, the plant has provided hundreds of jobs for area residents while becoming a vital part of the local economy and the resurgence of downtown Yonkers.
“What Kawasaki did was they became the corner stone, or the key stone, to what you see now – a thriving downtown waterfront that is doing wonderfully well,” Mayor Mike Spano said.
And by the looks of things, it doesn’t appear Kawasaki has plans to leave Yonkers anytime soon. The rail car company is in the final stages of an estimated $25 million deal to purchase the Wells Avenue warehouse it has called home. As a part of the deal, the state will award the manufacturer a $500,000 grant which requires the factory to retain at least 375 city jobs throughout 2016.
“The story of Kawasaki and what it’s meant to Yonkers and the county and the state should be a model for business and partnerships that create economic growth, stability in the region, and also creates a relationship of being good neighbors,” said State Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers).
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