Progress Rail locomotive shop up and running

Progress Rail Services Corp., a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., announced that less than 10 months after construction began, its new locomotive assembly facility at Muncie, Ind., has already completed its first diesel-electric units. The company announced the “grand opening” of the Muncie shop on Friday.

From the outset, the project has been on a fast track. Progress Rail announced the site selection in October of 2010 and began construction in January of this year.

“The Muncie facility is the first locomotive assembly plant to open in the United States in many years, and is the latest milestone to mark Progress Rail’s strategic approach to compete and win in the global railway industry,” said the company.

“This is the type of responsiveness our customers have come to expect from Progress Rail,” said Billy Ainsworth, president and CEO of Progress Rail. “Through its Progress Rail subsidiary, Caterpillar has proven its commitment to the rail and transit industries and since 2006 has invested more than $2 billion to meet our customers’ growing needs.”