Sen. Gillibrand tours Alstom, salutes skilled workforce

PLATTSBURGH | On a tour and visit at the Alstom Transportation manufacturing plant on Friday, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand met with manufacturing personnel, North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas and Alstom Site Managing Director Jeffrey Lambert amid rows of BART cars and New Jersey Transit Multilevel III train cars in production. The Multilevel NJT rail cars are double-deckers. Billy Jones, incoming operations director for the Advanced Institute of Manufacturing (AIM) at Clinton Community College, was there on his last full day as District 115 state assemblyman. Gillibrand announced a $350,000 appropriation for Fiscal Year 2026 from the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS). The funding would support expansion of skilled training programs to strengthen the manufacturing workforce in Upstate New York. "Thank you guys for the tour, I really appreciated it and I learned a lot," Gillibrand said. "I also want to thank the employees of this facility. The work that happens here every day reminds us just how vital New York State's manufacturing sector is, not only for our local communities, but also for our entire national economy. This facility stands as a testament to New York's long tradition of innovation and craftsmanship." Alstom's work in upstate New York has been an engine for growth, the senator said. "And today the momentum is only growing." Gillibrand's visit comes a week after the debut of Alstom on Amtrak's NextGen Acela train fleet. The rail cars made here will service the Northeast corridor, she said, "and provide passengers with a smoother and more comfortable travel experience, including myself." The trains are the fastest in America, she said, and are built at Alstom facilities in New York. "The project supports a domestic supply chain of more than 180 businesses in 29 states and created roughly 15,000 jobs nationwide." Gillibrand said Alstom's M9A project will create hundreds of new state-of-the-art rail cars in New York, replacing some of New York's older MTA cars. The undercarriages of those cars will be made here in Plattsburgh. FUNDING FOR NEXT GEN WORKFORCE Manufacturers struggle to find the skilled workers they need, she said. Nationally, about 400,000 manufacturing jobs are currently unfilled. That number could rise to over 2 million by 2030. "Programs that prepare the next generation of workers are essential to keep New York's manufacturing growing. "I'm fighting for $350,000 extra to expand the Chamber's Advanced Manufacturing Skilled Training Program," Gillibrand said of a program that is a catalyst for quality employment. Alstom Managing Director Lambert welcomed the senator for Alstom's 1,200 employees in New York. The facility in Plattsburgh employs over 330 people from Clinton County and nearby communities. "At Alstom, we see every day how skilled training programs create opportunity, they truly change lives," Lambert said. "Alstom is proud to make New York the nation's center for excellence for rail car manufacturing." Lambert thanked Chamber President Garry Douglas for his efforts to keep the manufacturing industry growing. "Garry is relentless," he said. "You're a true partner in our success." Funding also supports private sector growth. "As the American Public Transportation Association notes, 77 cents out of a dollar that goes toward public transportation goes into the private sector," Lambert said. "That investment is what keeps facilities like Plattsburgh operating. That's what keeps our supply chains operating, and not just operating, but growing strong. That in turn allows us to produce these cutting-edge trains to deliver to our customers." Alstom's Plattsburgh plant, which started as Bombardier, has delivered 5,000 rail cars in its 30 years of operations. "We're proud to continue building the future of American rail right here in Plattsburgh." Douglas said Gillibrand has responded positively to everything they go to Washington or call her about. "It was funding that she obtained for us from the federal government that started our welding academy," Douglas said. Their Skilled Manufacturing program will work with Jones at IAM on behalf of many Plattsburgh companies for various needs. Douglas said Gillibrand's leading role on the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee connects growth here to the pipeline that helps make sure transportation manufacturing remains busy. Jones thanked the senator for pushing the appropriation. "What we want to do is create opportunities here in the North Country. And there's no greater opportunity than giving people good jobs, and training them in those jobs," the AIM operations director said. "Continuing to expand local workforce training benefits the various manufacturing industries we have here, as well as the many manufacturing-focused businesses throughout the North Country. The Chamber's program is one of many ways we can continue to provide new opportunities for our residents, and I thank Sen. Gillibrand for her efforts."

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Sen. Gillibrand tours Alstom, salutes skilled workforce

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