Moving NY: Yonkers-Based Kawasaki Marks Milestone 5,000th Rail Car

YONKERS, NY — Chances are a key Hudson Valley industry has given you a ride home at some point in your life.

Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc., held a major milestone event on Wednesday celebrating its 5,000th railcar in the U.S. market. The event, which took place at Kawasaki’s facility in Yonkers, featured NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, MTA Chair and Chief Executive Officer Janno Lieber and Westchester Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins.

"This is an important milestone for Kawasaki," Kawasaki Rail Car President Yusuke Hirose told those gathered. "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. Kawasaki looks forward to serving the MTA regions and transit authorities in the northeast corridor for many years to come."

Since its entry into the market in 1979, Kawasaki has delivered over $12 billion in railcars. The Yonkers facility has awarded an estimated 30 percent of the contracts to companies located in New York State, and nearly 10 percent to disadvantaged business enterprises.

"Kawasaki has played an integral role in supporting a thriving downtown waterfront by providing thousands of good-paying jobs and supporting small businesses in the surrounding area," Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said. "I am so pleased to have Kawasaki as part of the City’s fabric for decades to come."

The company said that as a beacon of Kawasaki’s U.S. operations, the company’s presence in Yonkers is a testament to their global vision and local dedication in spearheading the future of America’s public transportation.

Kawasaki has delivered 3,783 railcars, equivalent to 76 percent of its total 5,000 railcars, to authorities in the New York area:

• 2,456 cars for New York City Transit
• 474 cars for Metro-North Railroad
• 336 cars for Long-Island Railroad
• 517 cars for PATH
• 266 cars for SEPTA
• 748 cars for WMATA
• 140 cars for MBTA
• 50 cars for MARC
• 13 cars for VRE

Every indication is that the landmark 5,000 railcar is just the beginning of a growing partnership.

"Over the past four decades Kawasaki has been a reliable partner to the MTA, manufacturing thousands of reliable cars for our customers," MTA CEO Janno Lieber said. "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."