Alstom expands Bautzen site with new hall

The rail vehicle manufacturer Alstom has put an extended production hall into operation in Bautzen, further expanding the Saxon site. Alstom's President for Central and Northern Europe, Tim Dawidowsky, spoke of an important milestone in the transformation towards modern, optimized industrial production. "The expansion of this hall is important, not only for Bautzen, but also for us as Alstom in Germany, because it shows in this traditional location that we can also build trains competitively here," said Dawidowsky. The President also held out the prospect of future expansion of the site.

Germany is one of the largest markets for the rail industry. Local value creation is therefore necessary. Alstom has 250 customers in the country. Among other things, streetcars for Berlin, Magdeburg and Dresden as well as S-Bahn trains for Hamburg are built in Bautzen. In addition, there is "an order worth billions" with the S-Bahn Rheinland, for which at least 90 S-Bahn trains are to be built in Bautzen. According to the company and the Free State, the plant in Bautzen is one of the most modern production and test locations in Europe and secures more than 1,000 jobs in Upper Lusatia.

Group closed Görlitz plant a year ago

The French rail vehicle manufacturer ended its production in Görlitz just under a year ago. The Görlitz plant has since been taken over by the armaments group KNDS, which now wants to manufacture tank components there. According to the company, around 170 employees had moved to Bautzen.

Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs, Dirk Panter, called the investment an example of how industry and politics can work together to secure competitive industrial jobs in rural areas. "I am particularly pleased about this, because we are in difficult economic times, which is why we need these examples," said the SPD politician.