New York State Homes and Community Renewal has announced the award of a $400,000 grant to the City of Hornell that will be used to support an operational expansion at TTA Systems LLC, a Hornell-based manufacturer of equipment and components for railcars. The New York State Community Development Block Grant will enable TTA to expand operations to assemble high-speed rail car trucks and create 30 full-time jobs targeted to hard-to-place workers.
“This investment continues the growth of train manufacturing in Hornell, which has played an important role in sending the Southern Tier economy soaring,” said New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas. “Through this grant, we are directly touching lives of the 30 New Yorkers who will have full-time employment accompanied with job training that will help them for life.”
The expansion supported by the grant, which will leverage about $950,000 in private investment, will help TTA in its role as a subcontractor to ALSTOM, a British manufacturer that is building high-speed rail cars for Amtrak at a facility in Hornell. TTA has already received an order from ALSTOM for 392 high-speed rail car trucks, which are the wheels and framing on which the train car sits.
The majority of the 30 jobs created by the expansion will be entry level and will be targeted to hard-to-place workers, including veterans and low-income residents. The firm will provide basic training to all new hires, including job safety and operation of the fork lift trucks among other necessary job-related skills. Seven of the new hires will be sent to France to receive additional specialized training on the new equipment. The company will work with the New York State Department of Labor Hornell Career Center to post the new job openings.
In addition to its subcontract with ALSTON, TTA provides its services and products as a direct contractor to transit authorities, including: the New York City Transit, the Maryland Transit Administration, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
Senator Tom O’Mara said, “This state investment to assist the expansion of TTA Systems will create critical jobs in the city of Hornell for hard-to-place workers, strengthen our local workforce and further enhance the city as a hub of rail car manufacturing in New York State and nationally.”
City of Hornell Mayor John J. Buckley said, “This is great news for TTA, the City of Hornell and area residents. Having this kind of support from the State was vital in moving this project forward. This expansion will create 30 new fulltime jobs here in Hornell and will better position TTA for future success. TTA is an important piece of the Hornell manufacturing puzzle. I would like to thank TTA officials and everyone from the State who helped make this a reality.”
Karen Nisbet, HR Manager and Program Manager, TTA Systems LLC, said, “TTA and Transitair are proud to be a part of the Hornell Community and look forward to continuing to grow and diversify our product base line. We sought this grant to expand our current projects to another part of our facility, upgrade equipment and tool the new stations. We will begin hiring soon and are currently accepting applications.”
