A railcar factory in Rochelle hit a major milestone Tuesday -- it completed its one-thousandth passenger rail car since opening in 2012.
Nippon Sharyo officials, local leaders, and some of the company’s biggest customers celebrated by pouring champagne over a banner in front of one of its new rail cars.
Nippon Sharyo president Kevin Koyasu says “the one-thousandth car could not be built in one day.” He admitted he’s surprised at how quickly the Rochelle plant has grown since it opened in 2012 … but only after years of investment.
Jason Anderson is Rochelle’s economic development director. He says the fact that railcars are being built in his city has an impact on the nation: the company has employees from throughout the region and suppliers from all over the country.
Nippon Sharyo officials say there are still a lot of opportunities in their very specialized business. They’re working to supply cars for “higher speed rail” systems in Illinois and California as well as continuing to build cars for aging passenger rail services.
