Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan welcomed Hitachi Rail Monday, as the company announced it would be establishing a new railcar manufacturing operation in Washington County in his state.
The company said it plans to build a $70 million, 307,000 square-foot facility in Hagerstown that will create up to 460 new full-time jobs and sustain another 1,300 jobs in the area.
“Hitachi Rail is an incredible global company, and their decision to select Hagerstown as the site of a major U.S. expansion is tremendous news for Washington County and the entire state of Maryland,” Hogan said. “With this new facility, Hitachi Rail will create hundreds of critical manufacturing jobs in our state with the capability to serve the wider North American market. We are excited to work together on this transformative project and look forward to the company’s continued success in Maryland.”
The facility will help Hitachi fulfill its march 2021 $2.2 billion contract with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to build its new fleet of 8000-series railcars.
Headquartered in Pittsburgh, the company currently employs more than 1,400 people and said it is committed to improving passenger and freight rail transportation in North America.
“I’m delighted to confirm the location of our new state-of-the-art U.S. train factory in Washington County, Maryland. From here, our 460-strong American workforce will build a fleet of modern metro trains and have the capability to build trains for towns and cities across North America,” said Andrew Barr, Group CEO of Hitachi Rail. “Hitachi Rail’s mission is to provide more seamless, sustainable journeys for passengers, customers and cities, and the creation of a new American train factory reflects our ambition to deliver for the United States.”