Brief #5
1
"High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program." FRA | Home. United States Department of Transportation. Web.
2
High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program California & Northwest Region Investments (2009-11). United States Department of Transportation. Web.
1
West Coast points to passenger and transit railcars and locomotives comprise an
continuity in high-speed rail estimated 10,000 to 14,000 U.S. jobs. However, the estimated
planning, project
multiplier for these types of jobs is an additional 2.5 jobs in other
deployment, and expansion
well into the future. Since sectors created.3 Additionally, the value chain for rail manufacturing,
Talgo has announced that it (particularly in component parts) overlaps that of other industry
will close its manufacturing clusters such as aerospace, shipbuilding, and automobiles.
facility in Wisconsin (one of
the states that cancelled its
The aerospace and shipbuilding connection to rail production is
high-speed rail funds), it is
readily apparent that the exactly what our region capitalized on more than 15 years ago, the
location of manufacturing last time we saw a significant regional investment in passenger rail.
and the proximity of rail In 1996, AMTRAK and the Washington State Department of
projects are tied together. Transportation (WSDOT) selected Spanish manufacturer Talgo to
This is good news for
produce new, 125 mph railcars for the Northwest Corridor. The
Seattle, since Pacifica has
existing experience as a contract included a 25% in-state content provision.
Talgo contractor. In
addition, Talgo’s North Meanwhile, faced with the federal defense cuts and aerospace
American headquarters are industry layoffs our region weathered in the 1990s, the International
located in downtown
Association of Machinists District 160 decided to curb the losses by
Seattle. Plus, the supply
chains for railcar production forming their own manufacturing company, called Pacifica. The idea
and aerospace are to form this company came out of a union project to use the skills
substantially similar. and experience that its skilled workers had gained building missiles,
torpedoes, and ships. They put together grants from the Federal
Recent Contracts
Government, Washington State, King County, and some seed money
Transportation:
Final assembly of high- from the Machinists union. Pacifica then procured the 80,000
speed passenger railcars square-foot former Ford truck plant with access to a container ship
for the Spanish railcar dock on East Marginal Way in Seattle and commenced a major
manufacturer, Talgo restoration of the facility. Much of the roofing, power systems,
Carbody structural mod
heating & ventilation, compressed air and plumbing was done by the
and interior
refurbishment, AMTRAK union members themselves.4
Railcar interior and
mechanical installations Pacifica’s original vision was to pursue shipbuilding contacts because
for prototype DMU so many of its worker-owners came out of the Bremerton shipyards.
commuter car and
However, the state’s procurement deal with Talgo led the Spanish
luxury touring cars,
Colorado Railcar company to engage a regional partner to fulfill the in-state content
Manufacturing requirements. The workers at Pacifica realized that their marine
Crash repair and manufacturing and aerospace skills would be well-suited for rail
refurbishment, City of production. Pacifica landed the contract to assemble five Talgo
Seattle monorail trains
trainsets.
Various prototype and
refurbishment projects
including: replica But the Talgo assembly contract was not the whole story. Talgo was
historic trolley impressed with the skills and work organization of the Machinists.
3
Trig, Tali. U.S. Manufacture of Rail Vehicles for Intercity Passenger Rail and Urban Transit: A Value Chain Analysis. Publication. Duke University. Center on
Globalization, Governance and Competitiveness. Web. June 24, 2010.
4
Holly-Gottlieb, Allie. "Workers Building Ne Amtrak Trains Think They Own The Place...And They Do." The Seattle Press 3 Nov. 1998. Print.
2
fabrication, historic They even hosted a group of Machinists to work at Talgo in Spain for
streetcar restoration, six months, learning Talgo’s operations and taking technical and
zoo and entertainmnent
Spanish classes in their spare time. Talgo was also impressed with
venue monorails and
light vehicle other local aerospace and marine component companies that
refurbishment employed Machinists. Soon, an industry consortium was formed with
Green Tech: support from the Washington State Department of Community,
Retrofit of over 1000 on Trade and Economic Development (now the Washington State
and off road diesel
Department of Commerce) to explore ways that these companies
powered vehicles with
diesel particulate filters could participate in the Talgo project. Locally produced aircraft
(DPF's) and oxidation interiors, lavatories, and galleys were modified and became
catalysts furnishings and interior architecture for the Talgo trains. Tooling,
Data logging and pressure valves, metal fabrication, gear making, and power systems
monitoring of these
for ships became components for the trainsets. All told, seven local
same vehicles. Pacifica
is also an exclusive companies in the consortium contributed content to the trainsets,
distributor for CPK- and the project actually exceeded the 25% in-state content
Automotive Data Logging requirements to approximately 33%.5
devices and software.
Design and manufacture
To fast-forward to 2011, Pacifica is still in operation in spite of a lack
transportable
(containerized) systems of new orders for intercity passenger rail stock in the past decade.
for oil seed crushing and The company has survived through maintenance and refurbishment
filtering work of the Talgo and other rail vehicles. It has also diversified by
CO2 Gas Solvent working with biofuels, emissions controls, and specialty painting. It
Extraction
Paint and Coatings: seems that the Pacifica operation is well-poised for what may
Industrial Equipment and become the largest expansion of passenger rail in modern history.
Machinery Painting; On-
Road Vehicle Fine “The President’s bold vision for high-speed rail is a game changer,”
Finishes according to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “It’s not only
going to create good jobs and reinvigorate our manufacturing base,
Jobs Story
Pacifica works strictly on it’s also going to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and help
ground transportation create livable communities. I have no doubt that building the next
vehicles, but the aerospace generation of rail service in this country will help change our society
and marine background of for the better.”6
many of its personnel have
proven invaluable in being No matter if one believes that high-speed rail is the game-changer to
able to adapt to the most which Secretary LaHood alluded, the fact is that changing regional
challenging of rail, transit, political landscapes has effectively shifted billions of dollars more of
and monorail projects. In
2003, Pacifica diversified its high-speed rail funding to the Northwest and California than what
transportation work and was ever expected when the Recovery Act was signed. All of the
initiated its Green Tech local companies that bid contracts on the 1990s Talgo project are
Division specializing in still in existence and thriving in our region today, as our core
diesel emission control industrial capacity for capital goods production is still a major part of
systems installation and
5
Final Report and Evaluation of the Northwest Rail Project to the Industrial Conversion Project, Community Diversification Program, Washington State
Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development. Rep. Print. February 15, 1996 .
6
U.S. Department of Transportation. Office of Public Affairs. President Obama, Vice President Biden to Announce $8 Billion for High-Speed Rail Projects across
the Country. Web.
3
monitoring, oil seed process the economic mix in Washington state. This industrial base has
system fabrication for food unique opportunities across new growth sectors such as rail stock.
and biofuels, and CO2 gas
Success of the original Talgo project was based upon the skills and
solvent extraction systems.
In 2005, a Paint and creativity of a divserse set of workers and employers who came
Coatings Division was together and more in terms of flexibility and out-of-the-box thinking
added, focusing in to create no only home-grown rail vehicles, but also home-grown
particular on industrial linkages amongst the strongest points of the manufacturing
vehicles and equipment.
subsectors in our region. With the right kind of leadership and a
refocusing on these types of interactions, there is no reason why
Washington state cannot be a leader in rail production for the future.
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