Alstom U.S. academic partnerships are moving into the foreground of Alstom’s U.S. rail work, linking recent orders with talent development, research and local manufacturing.

Alstom U.S. academic partnerships expand in rail
Photo: Alstom

On 1 June 2026, Alstom announced a broader program with colleges and universities after winning significant orders in the United States over the past two years. The program includes an Alfred State College engineering scholarship, a seat on the Advisory Board of NYU’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management, and a founding sponsorship role in the Transportation Initiative at Penn.

The company is also hiring more staff in the United States and Canada. It said the roles cover manufacturing and operations, as well as engineering and management.

Alstom U.S. academic partnerships and workforce goals

The new academic work reflects Alstom’s focus on the U.S. market, local manufacturing and long-term workforce development. The company has manufacturing facilities in New York and Pennsylvania, with offices in New York City and Philadelphia.

“Modernizing and expanding transit and rail has many benefits, including creating good American jobs,” said Dani Simons, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, Americas. She said Alstom wants students to see rail as a growing field with real career routes, from skilled welding after high school to advanced engineering work on more energy-efficient engines.

That puts U.S. rail workforce development at the heart of the partnerships. Alstom is presenting the agreements not only as academic cooperation, but also as a way to connect students with skills needed in rail, transit, manufacturing and engineering.

Scholarship fund links Alfred State College with Hornell plant

At Alfred State College, part of the State University of New York system, Alstom will donate $50,000 to endow a scholarship fund for students majoring in engineering technology. The college is 12 miles from Alstom’s manufacturing facility in Hornell, NY.

The two sides have worked together for years on hands-on technical education and workforce development. The scholarship fund adds direct financial support to that cooperation and backs students preparing for technical careers linked to rail manufacturing.

Alstom U.S. manufacturing is a key part of this section of the story. The Hornell site gives the scholarship a local industrial base, while the wider academic program connects education with the company’s production footprint in New York and Pennsylvania.

NYU Rudin Center and Penn expand transport research links

Alstom has also become a founding sponsor of the Transportation Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania, known as TRIP. Led by Leslie Richards, former Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary, the initiative aims to connect academic research with practical transport solutions for agencies through policy and planning guidance.

“Alstom’s partnership is invaluable as we work to bridge transportation research and real-world practice,” said Leslie Richards, founder and director of the Transportation Initiative at Penn. “Their experience on factory floors in Pennsylvania and across transit systems worldwide brings perspective that sharpens our research and informs our teaching.”

In New York, Alstom leadership has joined the Advisory Board of the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management. The nationally recognized center brings together cutting-edge research and convenings to shape transport policy, explore emerging innovations and develop future transportation leaders for the New York region and beyond.

“Industry partnerships are key to advancing meaningful research and developing the next generation of leaders,” said Sarah Kaufman, executive director of the NYU Rudin Center. “Our collaboration with Alstom, which has a strong presence in New York, has brought real-world perspectives to our research, fresh ideas to our convenings, and hands-on opportunities for our students. We look forward to deepening this partnership in the years ahead.”

U.S. rail orders add momentum to the academic push

Alstom’s academic partnerships arrive during a stronger period for the company in the U.S. rail market. Over the past 12 months, it has received orders for hundreds of commuter rail cars in New York and New Jersey and produced the first high-speed trains made in America.

The company remains a major rolling stock and rail services provider in the United States. It has delivered more than 12,000 new or renovated vehicles for domestic rail agencies, including those in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and New Jersey.

Alstom also states that it is the number one private rail operator in the country. It serves more than 10 rail and airport customers and moves millions of passengers every day, while Alstom U.S. academic partnerships help build a talent pipeline for the sector’s next stage.