Beech Grove Amtrak facility creates jobs, adds capacity to American passenger rail

Today I was proud to join President Obama and my fellow Cabinet members around the country in highlighting the tremendous role the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act continues to play in putting Americans back to work. 

This morning we learned that the American economy created 162,000 jobs last month and that the revised estimates for January now put average job growth for the first quarter of 2010 at 54,000 per month.

This is the most positive jobs report in three years. And it is a far cry from the same quarter in 2009, when President Obama had just taken office and the economy was losing 753,000 jobs each month.

Standing with the recent hires at the Beech Grove Amtrak facility; these are the faces of the Recovery Act.

To see firsthand the positive effects of the Recovery Act across the country, I visited the Amtrak Maintenance Facility in Beech Grove, Indiana, this morning. I toured the passenger car and locomotive shops and met many of Beech Grove's dedicated workers.

One of those workers is Mike Fischer, a machinist in the Beech Grove facility whom President Obama first met in April 2008.  Mike had worked for Amtrak for 22 years, but was about to lose his job last year as the Beech Grove facility planned to lay off 77 workers. He was faced with the decision to either move to Chicago or Wilmington, Delaware, or lose his job altogether.

Talking with Mike Fischer

Fortunately for Mike, the Recovery Act intervened. The Beech Grove facility secured $32 million to restore 21 passenger cars and 15 locomotives. This infusion not only helped save the jobs of Mike and his coworkers; it also created over 100 new jobs right in Beech Grove.

This money has helped the workers of the Beech Grove facility support their families. It has helped Beech Grove get back on its feet. And this success has been repeated around the country as Amtrak has added over 200 new jobs.

Thanks for the great tour, everyone!

I really enjoyed touring the car shops where six Amtrak passenger cars have already been rehabilitated--with more in the works--and locomotive shops where the first of the locomotives was refurbished. This work adds important capacity to the Amtrak passenger rail system and provides riding comfort to Amtrak's passengers.

The story of Beech Grove is just one of many I could tell here. People are going back to work. Towns like Beech Grove across the country are waking up as their residents' new paychecks allow them to buy the groceries they need or the school clothes for their kids they've put off for so long.

But we are not done yet. President Obama and I will not rest until every American who wants a job can find one.

It won't be easy, but as our economy continues to recover, the optimism and hard work of the American people I meet--in Beech Grove and all across the country--continue to inspire me.

Touring the yard with Amtrak President Joe Boardman (far left), Rep. Andre Carson (left), and site superintendent John Grey (rt)

Comments

[Sandal Club]

Keep the good work !!! Those 162,000 jobs are just the beggining !

[Zac]

It is nice to see that at least some companies are growing and creating more jobs.

[Michael E. Bailey]

I am glad to see that Amtrack Beech Grove is doing well and the Amtrak system is doing alot better. Amtrak plays a major role in rail transportation here in Orange County. It has a Rail to Rail program for interchange of tickets between Amtrak and Metrolink between Oceanside and LA Union Station, which if the economy improves maybe further improved on. You can take an Amtrak train at one of several Orange County stations to go south to San Diego or north to San Luis Obispo without changing trains. You can take an Amtrak bus from one of several Orange County stations to Bakersfield and a train from there as far north as Sacramento. And Amtrack has recently added new stops in Orange County. And the trains are well used as well. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.

[cb predator review]

This is great news, Obama is doing a very good job in the job market, and a very fast economical recovery is happening.
I had been very optimistic since the beginning but things are getting better faster then i expected.
Its great news to see all those people getting back in their feet, this is what we need right now, and it really is reviving America.

[djmoloy]

As an Indianapolis resident, I have been able to see first hand the significant improvements in the Beech Grove area. In the past, Beech Grove was viewed as one of the more run-down areas in Indy; however, because of the increased employment and investment in the area, Beech Grove has improved tremendously. Though it is inappropriate to assume that the Recovery Act has worked based on one small area in the country, it is nice to see these improvements so close to home. I am not the biggest fan of President Obama, but if the Beech Grove improvements are just the beginning, he might have my vote come 2012.

[djmoloy]

As an Indianapolis resident, I have been able to see first hand the significant improvements in the Beech Grove area. In the past, Beech Grove was viewed as one of the more run-down areas in Indy; however, because of the increased employment and investment in the area, Beech Grove has improved tremendously. Though it is inappropriate to assume that the Recovery Act has worked based on one small area in the country, it is nice to see these improvements so close to home. I am not the biggest fan of President Obama, but if the Beech Grove improvements are just the beginning, he might have my vote come 2012.

[Morgan]

I'm new to the adult world, and will be the first to admit to not being the best informed. I'm even one who's wanting to jmp into the rising interest in Amtrak/Regional Commuter in the US as a career, soon as I can get out of and catch my breath from High School. One thing I worry about though, if Beech has already turned out six cars, they're almost a third of the way through. What's next to keep the 177 new/stablized jobs around once the 21st car, or the 15th loco has rolled out? At the rate their going which is good for a repair facility, they'll be done by Christmas, if not Halloween or sooner. After that, Beech will be back to the maintaning lull it hit during last year, or just previous to the dropout as a cash-strapped support center, won't it?

[mary lopez]

Creating jobs i'm all for that. Good Job!!!!!!