HUTCHINSON, Kan. – After announcing they would break ground in February on their new rail car 
repair facility in the industrial park south of Hutchinson, it now appears that Mervis Railcar won’t begin work on the site until at least May. And the project will be smaller than first planed.
According to Project Manager Larry Culligan, several issues have delayed the project, and the unexpected expense of the project has forced Mervis to cut back on the original plans. Culligan also says they have had some delays in securing the financing of the project with several banks. The scaled down project includes the elimination of the looped track that would bring the large unit train cars into the facility and the elimination of one of the main buildings in the project.
Culligan told Eagle Radio in March that the company will probably start out on a much smaller scale than first thought, then increase the work load over a period of years. That would be counter to the 150 immediate jobs originally projected by Mervis. It could also have an affect on Superior Boiler who entered into an agreement with Mervis to fabricate steel components for the company.
Because of the changes, the city Planning and Zoning department has requested that Mervis revise its conditional use permit and re-plat the entire project, forcing more delays. Mervis was to come before the Planning Department during its April 7 meeting with the conditional use permit and final plat, but have asked that the agenda items be tabled until a later date. Hutchinson City Manager John Deardoff could only say that the city is moving forward with the project. Chamber President Jason Ball expressed his confidence that the project is moving forward and that he continues to be in constant contact with Mervis regarding the project.
Mervis Railcar announced in January it was coming to Hutchinson with a facility that would allow it to refurbish railroad tank cars, making it one of only two such facilities that could handle 100 car trains at one time.
Whether that will be the case remains to be seen, but Culligan is confident that the facility will go forward, it’s just going to take longer than expected.