The upcoming fleet of the next generation passenger cars for Amtrak rail corridors in US Midwest and California will now be manufactured by the makers of Japan’s bullet trains. The bi-level cars will be bought by Michigan, Illinois, Missouri and California for $352 million from a joint venture by Nippon Sharyo and Sumitomo Corp of America.
On September 26, 2012, the transportation authorities in Illinois and California said that the cars will be produced a plant which is operated by the US subsidiary of Nippon Sharyo in Rochelle, Illinois. An audit of the plant is pending to verify that the cars and components will be produced as well as assembled in the US.
