Japanese Railmaker Lands Big Metra Railcar Order

Nippon Sharyo, a Japanese EWJ rail car maker, said that it had received an order for 160 rail cars from suburban Illinois' Metra commuter rail line on Thursday. The order, jointly received with trading house Sumitomo Corp, is worth about ¥48 billion, or roughly $570 million. The new cars are expected to begin service in about 24 months, said officials. Each of the new railcars will be equipped with 140 seats, with final assembly taking place in the United States itself. The cars are paid for via Illinois state bond revenue.