The Business Journal by Sean Ryan, Reporter

 

In the wake of Talgo Inc. taking steps to close its manufacturing operations in Milwaukee, Mayor Tom Barrett repeated his call for the state to set up a train maintenance plant in the city so the company does not leave.

 

Talgo is to finish building trains under contracts with the states of Wisconsin and Oregon by September, and has no additional manufacturing orders for its plant in Milwaukee. According to a press release from Barrett’s office, the company will soon notify the state of its plan to close the plant and lay off its Milwaukee work force. As of Wednesday morning, the company had not issued a plant closure notification to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

 

Talgo officials were not available for comment.

 

Barrett and U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) were to visit Talgo’s plant Wednesday morning to reignite pressure on state officials to fund a maintenance plant in Milwaukee for Talgo to service two trains it is building for Amtrak’s Hiawatha service. Barrett and Moore urged that the plant be built in the existing city-owned building where Talgo is manufacturing the trains.

 

Echoing arguments Talgo officials made last month, Barrett said the state’s cost estimates for maintaining the Talgo trains in Milwaukee are inflated.

 

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