Siemens Opens $220m Lexington Plant for Amtrak Airo Coach Production

Siemens Mobility opened its $220m rail car manufacturing plant in Lexington, North Carolina on April 3, 2026, to produce Amtrak Airo passenger coaches and create over 500 jobs.

The facility represents Siemens' first dedicated passenger rail manufacturing base in North America and positions the company to serve growing US intercity passenger demand. The plant will manufacture coaches for Amtrak's new Airo trainsets, which replace aging fleet on the Northeast Corridor and other routes. Local officials project the facility will generate $1.2bn in economic impact for the region.

The 300,000 sq ft plant houses complete rail car assembly operations from steel welding through final testing. Siemens designed the facility with flexible production lines capable of manufacturing different coach configurations for Amtrak's diverse route requirements. The company expects to reach full production capacity within 18 months of opening. North Carolina provided $30m in incentives to secure the project, which beat competing sites in South Carolina and Virginia.

The Lexington plant supports Amtrak's $7.3bn Airo fleet procurement, the largest passenger rail order in US history. Siemens faces growing competition from Alstom and Stadler in the North American market as federal infrastructure funding drives new orders. The facility positions Siemens to bid on future commuter rail contracts in California, Texas and the Northeast megalopolis.