GE Transportation nabbed a 50-locomotive order from a Class I railroad that will mean more business for its Fort Worth plant, the company announced Thursday.
The order from Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU) will be for both its U.S. and Mexican operations. Deliveries for the Tier 4 Evolution Series locomotives are expected to begin in 2019 and GE said digital solutions to improve operational and fuel efficiency are also part of the deal.
"This purchase will help us continue the modernization of our locomotive fleet and position KCS for future expanded volumes," said Jeffrey Songer, KCS executive vice president and chief operating officer, in a prepared statement. This order is not to be confused with GE's modernization effort, an endeavor they took on to refurbish old locomotives while the market was down. This KCS order is for new locomotives.
The locomotive market is starting to come back after years of an economic downturn caused layoffs across the industry. GE said earlier this year it intends to hire 200 new employees to its Fort Worth plant to keep up with demand from railroads for both new and modernized locomotives. A company spokesperson said the plant, which also makes mining equipment, is up to 550 employees and is preparing to ramp up to a production rate of 10 locomotives a week.
The order comes a month after General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) announced it had agreed to merge its transportation business with Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. (NYSE: WAB), or Wabtec, in a $11.1 billion deal. The Boston industrial conglomerate has been looking to streamline its business since Chief Executive Officer John Flannery took over the reins of the company.