France-based multinational rolling stock manufacturer Alstom has invested €14m ($13.9m) to expand and modernise its production facility in Taubaté in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The new 60,000m2 facility features manufacturing, testing, training and office space.

The expansion forms part of Alstom’s growth strategy and follows the signing of six national and international contracts. The Taubaté site will produce more than 170 trains for the cities of São Paulo, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; Taipei, Taiwan; and Bucharest, Romania.

In a press release, chief executive officer Henri Poupart-Lafarge commented: “We have been looking for strategic opportunities to continue to grow to support societies as they transition to lower and zero-emission transportation for passengers and freight. The expansion of this factory in Brazil is extremely important to reinforcing our position as a global benchmark for innovative and sustainable mobility, quality and customer satisfaction in the railway industry.”

Alstom plans to hire around 750 new staff in the state of São Paulo by March 2023, 700 of whom will work at the expanded factory. In order to facilitate this, around 500 professionals are being trained by the National Service for Industrial Learning in Taubaté.