Bussnang, Switzerland-based Stadler on Dec. 3 reported that its passenger railcar manufacturing location in Salt Lake City, Utah, will separate from the Swiss division as of Jan. 1, 2025.
To “further strengthen the successful business development here” and “secure an even stronger presence in the American market,” the Board of Directors decided late last month that Stadler US would operate as an independent North America division, according to Stadler.
Martin Ritter, current President and CEO of Stadler US and one of Railway Age’s 25 under 40 Award honorees for 2024, will head the new division and become a member of Stadler’s Group Management Board.
The Utah location employs more than 500 people. There will be no changes to the terms and conditions of their employment, according to Stadler.
Stadler established the Utah location 2016, after Trinity Metro in Texas ordered eight four-car FLIRT DMUs (diesel multiple units) in 2015 for the launch of TEXRail commuter rail service in 2019. “The new facility saw Stadler comply with the Buy America Act, which stipulates that at least 60% of the value added for federally funded projects must be generated in the US,” Stadler said.
Work started on the Utah plant’s expansion at the end of October 2024. The goal: to enable growth and “in [the] future, manufacture car bodies in the US,” according to the manufacturer, which over the past two months has secured another Trinity Metro order for four diesel-powered FLIRT DMUs to complement the original fleet and a Utah Transit Authority order for up to 80 low-floor CITYLINK light rail vehicles for Salt Lake City’s TRAX modernization project.
Among the other Stadler projects in the U.S.: 23 KISS EMUs(electric multiple units) are operating at Caltrain in California; a hydrogen fuel cell (HFC)-powered FLIRT H2 train is currently in test on Metrolink’s Arrow line between San Bernardino and Redlands, Calif., where it will run alongside existing FLIRT DMUs; and eight DMUs are being tested for Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s (DART) Silver Line commuter rail service. Also, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) in 2019 awarded Stadler a contract to supply 127 two-car rapid transit trainsets with options for up to 50 additional sets, and earlier this year California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) exercised an option for six additional zero-emission HFC FLIRT H2 trainsets; Chicago’s Metra ordered eight two-car zero-emission, battery-electric (BE) single-level trainsets; and Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners selected Stadler and Siemens Mobility to provide railcars and signaling technology, respectively, for a rail proposal to ease congestion on the I-405 (Sepulveda) corridor between Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley and Westside.
“Stadler has enjoyed significant growth over recent years,” said Peter Spuhler, Board Chairman at Stadler, which has a workforce of around 14,500 employees based in various production and engineering locations as well as more than 80 service locations, and offers high-speed trains, intercity trains, regional and suburban trains, metros, tramways, and trams, plus main-line locomotives, shunting locomotives, and passenger coaches. “We are now strengthening the location to underscore the importance of this market. Martin Ritter is an experienced leader with a proven track record, and he will head the new North America division. I wish him and the whole team every success.”
“I am delighted to have been asked to run Stadler US as a division in its own right,” Martin Ritter said. “The decision to make the US a separate entity demonstrates the importance of this location for the entire Stadler Group. It is down to the tremendous commitment of all the employees here in Salt Lake City, and I would like to thank everyone for their dedication. I look forward to taking on the new challenges and continuing to grow the North American market.”
