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Train Factory In Springfield, Mass., Is On Track To Open This Winter

New England Public Media | By Sean Teehan
Published October 12, 2017 at 6:51 PM EDT
A facility in Springfield, Mass., where trains will be manufactured will open this winter.
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A facility in Springfield, Mass., where trains will be manufactured will open this winter.
Heather Brandon / NEPR
A facility in Springfield, Mass., where trains will be manufactured will open this winter.
2 of 8
A facility in Springfield, Mass., where trains will be manufactured will open this winter.
Heather Brandon / NEPR
CRRC, a facility in Springfield, Mass., where trains are manufactured.
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A facility in Springfield, Mass., where trains will be manufactured will open this winter.
Heather Brandon / NEPM
Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito with various officials at the CRRC facility.
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Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karen Polito with various officials at the CRRC facility.
Heather Brandon / NEPR
Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karen Polito speak with CRRC workers at the factory in Springfield, Mass.
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Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karen Polito speak with CRRC workers at the factory in Springfield, Mass.
Heather Brandon / NEPR
A facility in Springfield, Mass., where trains will be manufactured will open this winter.
6 of 8
A facility in Springfield, Mass., where trains will be manufactured will open this winter.
Heather Brandon / NEPR
A facility in Springfield, Mass., where trains will be manufactured will open this winter.
7 of 8
A facility in Springfield, Mass., where trains will be manufactured will open this winter.
Heather Brandon / NEPR
A facility in Springfield, Mass., where trains will be manufactured will open this winter.
8 of 8
A facility in Springfield, Mass., where trains will be manufactured will open this winter.
Heather Brandon / NEPR

A factory that will build trains for the T in Boston is almost ready to open. 

The facility in Springfield just received its certificate of occupancy. The factory is about 90 percent complete, and will open this winter.

That's according to a spokeswoman for CRRC, the Chinese company that owns the plant.

When complete, about 180 workers at the Springfield factory will build trains for Boston, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Bryan Perkins will be one of them.

He and about 20 other employees traveled to China from April to August to learn how to build the trains.

“We did have our communication difficulties. With some patience, and some help from translation apps, we were able to communicate, and work together to achieve our goal,” he said Thursday.

Bryan Perkins of CRRC recently traveled to China as part of his job.
Credit Heather Brandon / NEPR
/
NEPR
Bryan Perkins of CRRC recently traveled to China as part of his job.
.@MassGovernor inspects photos at the new CRRC factory in Springfield showing what train assembly areas will look like. #trains pic.twitter.com/35R14XsyQv — Heather Brandon (@heddahfeddah) October 12, 2017

Perkins, along with Governor Charlie Baker and Mayor Domenic Sarno, spoke at an event marking the factory's progress.
Tags
Regional News BUSINESS & ECONOMYTRANSPORTATIONWESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
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