Intercity passenger service provides ready access to city centers. Photo courtesy of APRC.

Connecticut
Sperry Rail Service of Danbury conducts rail testing for Amtrak. James River Corporation of Norwalk, has supplied Amtrak with napkins, cups, plates and other paper products for many years.

New Hampshire
Sprague Energy Corporation, based in Portsmouth, supplies Amtrak and other rail customers with fuel and diesel products.

Maine
Mobil in Portland supplies diesel fuel for Amtrak.

Other Suppliers in the Region
The rail manufacturing and equipment supply industry plays an important economic role throughout the region. General Electric Transportation Systems (GETS), the largest manufacturer of locomotives in North America, has its large manufacturing facilities in Erie and Grove City, Pennsylvania. Over the past six years, GE has built more than 200 passenger locomotives for Amtrak. When introduced into service, GE's Genesis locomotive was the first locomotive product designed and built specifically for passenger service in over forty years. The facility in Erie covers 350 acres with four miles of rail track on the site for testing new locomotives. GETS employs 5,500 people in Pennsylvania and 6,700 worldwide.
     GE Transportation Systems has major contracts for parts, supplies and services, with more than 200 other companies in the CONED region. In 1998, GETS's contracts with suppliers in the CONED states totaled $106 million. This includes contracts with 130 suppliers in New York, for more than $75 million; 35 suppliers in Massachusetts for a total of $18 million; more than 20 suppliers in Connecticut for approximately $8 million and contracts with 10 companies in New Hampshire for over $3 million. Smaller contracts with companies in the region are not reflected in these totals.
     IBM Global Services, the largest information technology services company in the world, provides Amtrak with data center operations, voice and data network services, operation of its reservation system and other services. Much of this work is conducted in Manassas, Virginia. In Bear, Delaware, the Rocla Concrete Tie company manufactures concrete railroad ties for Amtrak which are used in the Northeast Corridor.
     E. James White Company of Herndon, Virginia, has provided advertising, sales promotion and support, marketing and public relations services to Amtrak for nearly 20 years. E. James White Company employs 75 people and generates $50 million in annual revenues.
     Renfe Talgo of America, a manufacturer of passenger rail cars and locomotives with U.S. headquarters in Seattle, spent $1.2 million for rail products made by New Jersey companies; $208,000 for goods made by Maryland companies; and $205,000 for products from a Massachusetts company.