Nearly 150 workers at CRRC MA's Springfield rail-car plant are getting called back after U.S. Customs released MBTA subway car shells that had been impounded last year, easing the parts shortage that triggered recent furloughs. The move followed urgent outreach from U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal and state officials, who warned federal agencies that the seizure was putting local manufacturing jobs on the line. Company leaders say production will ramp up slowly as the released shells make their way back to Massachusetts and are reassembled at the Springfield facility.
How Officials Are Rolling Out the Recall
As reported by The Boston Globe, 142 employees were furloughed on Monday, leaving about 280 people still on the job at the Springfield factory. CRRC MA spokesperson Lydia Rivera said the company will bring those furloughed workers back in stages as operations come back up to speed.
How the Customs Hold-Up Hit Production and Jobs
Shipments of car shells and internal components were detained at the Port of Philadelphia on May 25, 2025, after U.S. Customs raised concerns about possible forced or child labor, cutting off crucial parts needed for final assembly in Springfield. The detention prompted CRRC to warn that furloughs were coming and to file WARN notices earlier this year, and the parts delays slowed deliveries for both Boston and Los Angeles projects, according to Trains.com.
What the Uyghur Law Actually Does
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act sets a rebuttable presumption that goods mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in Xinjiang, or by entities on the UFLPA list, are made with forced labor and can be detained or seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Under the law, CBP can withhold, detain, or seize shipments while importers try to provide clear and convincing evidence that the goods were not produced with forced labor, according to DHS.
What Comes Next on the Springfield Assembly Line
An MBTA procurement update shows the authority contracted CRRC MA to assemble 404 new Orange and Red Line cars. As of Jan. 30, CRRC had delivered 60 of the 252 Red Line cars while completing the MBTA's 152 Orange Line cars, according to that update. Jack Chamberland, Neal's communications director, said that once the shells are released the shipment should arrive in about four to five days, a timetable that will drive when furloughed workers return, as reported by The Boston Globe.
Local Unions and the Fallout in Springfield
About 250 of the plant's workers are represented by IBEW Local 7 and Sheet Metal Workers Local 63, and union officials were not immediately available for comment. The furloughs and production delays have added pressure to a Springfield economy that had counted on CRRC's factory to deliver steady manufacturing jobs, according to Trains.com.
Why Riders on the T Are Watching
The new cars are intended to replace aging Red and Orange Line fleets and to improve reliability and capacity for MBTA riders. Delays in getting those trains into service have been a recurring operational headache cited in MBTA briefings. The MBTA procurement update describes the CRRC agreement as central to the T's long-term plans and lays out delivery milestones through 2027 to help stabilize service.
CRRC has said it will ramp back up gradually, and local leaders say the release of the detained shells should clear a major supply-chain choke point for the MBTA program. Workers and city officials will be watching the deliveries and recall schedules closely as parts make their way to Springfield in the coming days.
