Hitachi opens new $100 million railcar plant in Maryland

Hitachi Rail held a grand opening for its new railcar factory in Annapolis, Maryland September 8. The $100 million, 300-square-foot facility will directly create 500 manufacturing jobs, according to a joint statement from the company and Maryland governor Wes Moore.

The new Washington County factory, the company said, is “strategically located” for filling metro rail orders, including for the nearby Washington, D.C. and Baltimore light rail systems. Each railcar will reportedly include advanced anti-collision tech, including proximity alerts and “an AI-powered video analytics suite.”

According to a company announcement, $30 million of the $100 million investment went towards “digital enhancements” for the new factory. It will use monitoring systems and AI programs developed by Hitachi Digital Services to monitor manufacturing processes, supplies, and energy use in real time, automatically, the announcement said.

Hitachi Rail did not specify by what date the new factory would become carbon neutral, but said the plan would involve AI monitoring of wasteful energy use, solar panels, procuring electricity from renewable sources, and planting trees.

The grand opening was held the same day as Hitachi Energy’s announcement it would build a new large power transformer manufacturing plant in South Boston, Virginia,

What people are saying

“Today, we celebrate a major milestone in the partnership between Hitachi and the state of Maryland,” said Gov. Moore. “Hitachi Rail's new Hagerstown factory will not only create hundreds of jobs and power the region's transit infrastructure with railcars equipped with cutting-edge technology, but it affirms Maryland's position as a premier location for global investment in the industries of the future.”

“Governor Moore was here in 2023 when this site was a work in progress—and today it’s a workplace for progress,” said Lt. Gov. Aruna K. Miller. “This facility will build railcars that will power transit across North America and is the result of what happens when global vision meets local talent.”

“The Hagerstown factory acts as a lighthouse for the unique power and capabilities of Hitachi,” said Hitachi, Ltd. President and Chief Executive Officer Toshiaki Tokunaga. “Combining our deep strength in digital and AI with the expertise of our rail business has enabled us to deliver an evolution in manufacturing. The shared vision and collaboration across our business to deliver the technology in this facility underlines how we can deliver ever greater value to our customers and society.”

“Our $100M Hagerstown site represents a strategic investment in North America, sustaining 1,300 jobs and delivering the next generation of rail manufacturing,” said Hitachi Rail Group Chief Executive Officer Giuseppe Marino. “The site is carbon neutral and harnesses the impressive capabilities of the Hitachi Group to ensure our customers benefit from smart manufacturing powered by transformative digital and AI technologies. Able to deliver up to 20 rail cars per month, the factory will be working at full pace to deliver important railcar contracts across North America, including in the Washington D.C. region.”

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