By Jim Kinney | jkinney@repub.com
SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Customs and Border Protection will release imported subway car shells that have been impounded for months, leading to furloughs at a Springfield factory.
That company, CRRC MA, furloughed 142 employees Monday because work on subway cars for the MBTA and for Los Angeles couldn’t continue without a supply of uncompleted car shells from China. The furloughs left 280 still employed at the plant in East Springfield.
With a new promise that the shells will be released by customs, CRRC will gradually resume operations with the goal of recalling affected employees from furlough, said CRRC spokeswoman Lydia Rivera.
The promised release of the shell cars followed an in-person request by U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal to President Donald Trump’s chief of staff. Neal said in an interview Wednesday that he made the case to Susie Wiles at a Washington St. Patrick’s Day lunch that she attended along with Trump and Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin.
“So it worked,” Neal said. “I was able to appeal to the president’s chief of staff to intervene.”
He said, though, the issue could have been settled months ago.
“In probably two minutes I was able to explain the challenge,” Neal said. “There was no reason for these cars to still be sitting there.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents blocked the shipment of car shells and assorted parts at the Port of Philadelphia in May 2025 over concerns that CRRC might be using parts and materials created by child laborers or by the forced labor of members of the Uyghur ethnic minority.
Rivera said CRRC was able to provide documentation that it was meeting labor requirements.
Neal said he gave Wiles a small card containing a rundown of the issue, complete with job impacts in Springfield. Neal said his staff did a great job preparing the case.
Neal, speaking Wednesday by phone from Washington, said he urged Wiles to talk with Massachusetts Gov. Maura T. Healey about the rail car shells issue.
The lawmaker praised Healey for her efforts on behalf of the Springfield factory. “She’s been right on it,” Neal said.
He also singled out Phillip Eng, the state’s interim transportation secretary and general manager at the T, for his efforts.
“I think we need a steady line of communication and a steady line of production,” he said.
“It’s great news that the Red Line car shells that had been seized are being released. These parts are essential for delivering the safe and reliable service that Red Line riders deserve, while also supporting hundreds of good jobs in Springfield,” Healey’s office said in a statement last night.
She said she was grateful “for the strong partnership of Congressman Neal and Interim Secretary and General Manager Eng throughout this process.”
Neal said he learned Wednesday afternoon that the rolling stock would become unstuck. The goal now, he said, is to prevent any future disruptions in the shipment of materials to Springfield.
“I think we need a steady line of communication and a steady line of production,” he said.
The plant, on the old Westinghouse site, is in the House district represented by state Rep. Orlando Ramos, D-Springfield.
“It’s something we fought hard to bring to the city of Springfield,” Ramos said of the plant. “They are not just jobs. They are good-paying careers.”
CRRC thanked its unions, Sheet Metal Workers Local 63, and Electrical Workers Local 7, for their help and advocacy in getting the shell cars released.
The timetable of their arrival in Springfield is uncertain.
CRRC delivered the last pair of Orange Line cars to the MBTA Dec. 18, completing a 152-car order. CRRC continues to make Red Line subway cars, with 58 of the ordered 252 cars delivered to the MBTA.
Workers at the plant are also making 64 cars for the Los Angeles Metro ahead of the 2028 Olympics.
Neal said that at the St. Patrick’s event Tuesday, he wished Wiles well with her health challenge. Wiles, 68, announced this week that she’s entering treatment for breast cancer.
