Bombardier to Close German Rail Plant

Canadian train and plane maker Bombardier said on Wednesday it would cut one-fifth of its rail workers and would close seven European plants including one in Halle-Ammendorf in eastern Germany. With 800 workers, the Bombardier plant for railway cars is an important employer in the economically-depressed region. The premier of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Wolfgang Böhmer, said he was "shaken" by the news. Bombardier had wanted to close the plant in 2001, but German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder personally intervened to save the factory. Though the government refused to get involved this time, both federal and state authorities said special effort would be made to try and find other jobs for the workers.