China CNR is owned by the People’s Republic of China.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the contract for CNR MA Corporation, which is a venture of China CNR Corporation Limited and CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles Co.

A railway company controlled by China’s government has emerged as the top bidder for a $566.6 million contract to supply the MBTA with new cars for the Red and Orange lines.

The contract calls for 284 subway cars and will include the construction of a plant to build the cars in Springfield, according to a person with knowledge of the procurement.


The deal comes amid concerns from human rights activists about China’s record on human rights violations.

But Governor Deval Patrick, in remarks to reporters outside a Monday event in Roxbury, insisted that the bidders on the MBTA contract have been “thoroughly vetted,” and that the process had been “transparent and rigorous and competitive.”

Patrick noted the new cars would not be built in China.

“The condition of the deal is that the coaches be assembled right here in Massachusetts,” he said.

Patrick pledged to rebuild many of the aging cars in the Red and Orange line fleets a year ago, after the passage of the transportation funding bill set aside more money for public transit.

Patrick is scheduled to make an announcement about the MBTA’s new Red and Orange line cars in Tuesday afternoon in Springfield.

MBTA officials and Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials had no comment on the contract.

Joshua Miller of the Globe Staff contributed to this report. Nicole Dungca can be reached at nicole.dungca@globe.com.