Alstom is to close its plant in the eastern German city of Görlitz by the end of March 2026, the French rolling-stock manufacturer announced on Thursday.
Alstom said rolling-stock structural work was being shifted to Eastern Europe and that the move was part of specialisation at German production sites, with sites at Hennigsdorf, Kassel and Mannheim affected.
Workers’ reps informed
Some 700 workers are employed at the plant in the state of Saxony, which has been in operation for 175 years. Alstom said that workers’ representatives had been informed.
It said confidential talks with an industrial partner on possible involvement at the site were at an advanced stage. This with the aim of providing a long-term perspective for industrial jobs.
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These plans had long been known, and Alstom was now making details public, it said.
Works council head René Straube described the decision as “really bitter”. He predicted a loss of quality in moving the work abroad. The Görlitz plant has in the past produced double-deckers for export to Israel.
Production shifted to Bautzen
Under the Alstom plans, no rolling stock will in future be built at Hennigsdorf to the north-west of Berlin. This with production shifted to Bautzen to the east of Dresden and Salzgitter near Hanover.
Hennigsdorf is to be expanded to the main site for the growth areas of digitalisation and service, the company said. Mannheim is to focus on digitalisation and development, with one production hall sold off.
Development work and project management for alternative drive technologies are to be moved to France. -dpa
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