Kawasaki Rail Car celebrates milestone of 5,000 railcars in U.S. market

Credit: Kawasaki Rail Car

Kawasaki Rail Car, the U.S. subsidiary of Japan-based Kawasaki Heavy Industries, has announced that it has marked a major milestone with the production of its 5,000th railcar for the U.S. market. The celebration took place at Kawasaki’s manufacturing facility in Yonkers and had been attended by key figures such as New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber and Westchester Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins.

Since entering the U.S. market in 1979, Kawasaki has delivered over $12 billion worth of railcars, with its Yonkers facility becoming a vital hub for railcar production. Approximately 30% of contracts from the facility have been awarded to New York State companies, and nearly 10% to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. Of the 5,000 railcars produced, 3,783-76% had been delivered to authorities in the New York area, serving key transit systems like New York City Transit, Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Railroad.

Kawasaki’s operations in Yonkers over the past four decades have generated thousands of jobs and significant economic activity in New York State. The company’s contribution to the U.S. rail system, particularly in the Northeast, has been widely acknowledged by local and state leaders.

“Over the past four decades Kawasaki has been a reliable partner to the MTA, manufacturing thousands of reliable cars for our customers,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “The company has been integral to the decades-long turnaround of the subway system and the 2025-29 Capital Plan recently adopted by the MTA Board calls for even greater investment in new subway and commuter rail cars.”

“This is an important milestone for Kawasaki,” said Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc. President and Chief Operating Officer, Yusuke Hirose. “We are proud of our history in working with New York State, the MTA, Westchester County, the City of Yonkers and all of our customers and vendors to power the region’s economy and deliver safety, reliability and comfort time and time again.”