CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A company in Cedar Rapids is closing and will lay off 34 people next month, according to Iowa WARN. The company is listed as RELCO, a Wabtec Company, on 4200 Thomas Drive. The company will close on New Years’ Eve and lay off 34 employees. The workers were notified Tuesday. RELCO is a locomotive manufacturing and repair company and has an additional location in Cedar Rapids and Albia, which will remain open. Wabtec purchased the company in 2020.

Wabtec sent KCRG TV9 the following statement: “Wabtec has announced a difficult decision to close operations at its plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The plan is to close the plant located at 4200 Thomas Drive SW by the end of December 2025 and transfer the work to more cost competitive third-party providers and Wabtec sites in North America.

“Decisions like this are never easy, but this move will more efficiently serve our customers’ needs as well as better position Wabtec for success. The company remains fully committed to all customer commitments and providing impacted employees with resources and benefits to manage the transition.”

The Iowa Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) provides information on recent plant closings and mass layoffs.