Hitachi Rail opens lighthouse digital factory in the US

• Next-gen factory able to deliver 20 railcars per month for North American customers with contracts serving Washington DC region, Baltimore and Philadelphia
• $100M carbon neutral facility includes over $30M invested in digital enhancements and showcases the Hitachi Group’s powerful digital and transformative technologies, including HMAX solutions for both the rail sector and broader industrial applications
• Facility will provide operational excellence and smart manufacturing while directly creating 460 jobs and supporting employment of 1,300 in total, contributing $350m per year to the region.
  

HAGERSTOWN, Md., Sept. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hitachi Rail’s lighthouse digital factory officially opened today in Maryland, representing a strategic investment by Hitachi Group in North America. The new carbon neutral factory, featuring over $30M in digital enhancements, is set to deliver railcars for customers across North America, including metros in the Washington DC area, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

The $100M 307,000 sq. ft. site, operating with zero landfill waste from day one, was officially opened on September 8^th by Executive Chairman of Hitachi, Ltd. Toshiaki Higashihara, President & CEO of Hitachi, Ltd. Toshiaki Tokunaga and Group CEO of Hitachi Rail, Giuseppe Marino.

The lighthouse factory will also include a demonstration of One Hitachi’s technologies via an immersive and interactive customer experience centre. Visitors will be able to learn about the plant’s digital enhancements to optimize quality and delivery, as well as the business’ wider solutions from modern signaling to its pioneering HMAX platform, which uses AI to optimize railway assets – an application of Lumada 3.0.*        

By showcasing powerful digital and transformative technologies in this factory for customers and partners, the Hitachi Group aims to address customer challenges across North America and beyond as One Hitachi, further expanding and deploying HMAX across a wide range of industries and business sectors.

The opening event saw major institutional and transportation leaders presented with a showcase of Hitachi Group’s capabilities at the factory’s digital customer experience center.

The facility, located in Hagerstown, Maryland, just north of the nation’s capital, deploys world-leading transformative technologies to create a factory that is people-centric and digitally optimized. The factory will sustain 1,300 jobs with up to 460 working directly for Hitachi Rail on site in roles that will harness AI and smart manufacturing principles and offer next-generation manufacturing careers. The total added value of the new digital site is set to be more than $350M per year, bringing major economic benefits to the DC, Maryland and Virginia regions.

“I would like to sincerely thank our customers, partners, Hitachi Group colleagues, and community leaders in the state of Maryland for their support in launching this new factory. The Hagerstown factory showcases the unique strengths of the Hitachi Group by integrating manufacturing expertise and digital and AI technologies across a wide range of our business domains as True One Hitachi. We will deliver ever greater value to our customers and society by addressing infrastructure and mobility challenges in the United States” - Toshiaki Tokunaga, President & CEO, Hitachi, Ltd.

“Our $100M Hagerstown site represents a strategic investment in North America, sustaining 1,300 jobs and delivering the next generation of rail manufacturing. 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.” - Giuseppe Marino, Group CEO, Hitachi Rail.

“Thanks to President Trump, America is quickly becoming the number one destination for private investment in the world. For communities like Hagerstown, that means hundreds of new jobs and millions in economic activity. This state-of-the-art Hitachi plant is a powerful example of this Administration’s commitment to reshore jobs and build big, beautiful infrastructure projects that benefit American families.” - U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy 

“Today, we celebrate a major milestone in the partnership between Hitachi and the state of Maryland,” - Governor Wes 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.”

“As America’s Metro System, our focus is on continuous customer improvement and innovation through the use of technology. It’s great to have a partner like Hitachi that embraces technology and invests capital dollars in state-of-the-art infrastructure like this facility to transform the future of transit for this region and North America. Congratulations on this achievement! Hitachi’s footprint will positively impact Metro and transit for generations to come." - Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, Randy Clarke.

"Transit drives economic growth by connecting people to jobs and opportunities," - Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold. "Our new Hitachi Metro Subway railcars represent a significant step in delivering a safer, more reliable transit experience for riders in the Baltimore region."

A next-generation digital factory

Built by Hitachi Rail, with expertise from Hitachi Digital, GlobalLogic, Hitachi Digital Services and Hitachi Research & Development, the facility brings Physical AI to life and drives operational excellence through Digital Kaizen – a process of continuous improvement through iterative changes enabled through One Hitachi.

With digital at its core, over $30M has been invested in digital enhancements and the plant has been designed with a focus on high quality production and customer value creation. The smart factory harnesses real-time supply chain and manufacturing monitoring, local component manufacturing using 3D printing and on-site additive manufacturing for spares and tooling, and full transparency on product quality.

A symbol of growth in North America

The opening of the flagship factory confirms the expansion of Hitachi Rail’s business in North America, which mirrors that of Hitachi Group as a whole - with one sixth of the global technology and innovation business’ revenues now coming from North America.

Hitachi Rail is delivering several fleets of railcars from the new digital factory, including from the Washington DC region, Baltimore and Philadelphia with orders totaling over 600 railcars.

Sustainable by design

The plant emits zero CO2 emissions, combining solar panels and additional electricity needs fulfilled by an agreement to source 100% renewable electricity. The site includes substantial plantings and AI systems that monitor and optimize energy consumption efficiency. The plant will operate with zero landfill waste from day one and save 800,000kg of CO2 annually through its solar panels.

For more information, please contact:

Marissa Petrenko, +1 505-280-0840   marissa.petrenko@bursonglobal.com on Sept. 8^th
Adam Love, +1 437 234 4024    adam.love@hitachirail.com
Ed Brown, +44 7944 858 670 ed.brown@hitachirail.com  

Notes to Editors:

Images for use by media can be found here. Additional images for the event will be shared ASAP, and will be distributed by email. Credit: Hitachi Rail.

Video & B-roll of the factory for use by media can be found here. Credit: Hitachi Rail.

*Through Lumada 3.0, Hitachi is leveraging domain knowledge and AI to transform data into value and address challenges faced by customers and society.

Hagerstown orders:
Hitachi Rail has several orders to deliver railcars from its new Hagerstown factory, including the list below. The vast majority of railcars delivered for these orders will be built in the Hagerstown factory with the exception of a small number of test trains which will be built in one of Hitachi Rail’s other global facilities.

• 256 cars for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, “Metro”
• 78 cars for Maryland Transit Authority for the Baltimore Metro SubwayLink
• 200 cars for Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
  

About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society through the use of data and technology. We solve customers’ and society’s challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products. Hitachi operates under the 3 business sectors of “Digital Systems & Services” - supporting our customers’ digital transformation; “Green Energy & Mobility” - contributing to a decarbonized society through energy and railway systems, and “Connective Industries” - connecting products through digital technology to provide solutions in various industries. Driven by Digital, Green, and Innovation, we aim for growth through co-creation with our customers. The company’s revenues as 3 sectors for fiscal year 2023 (ended March 31, 2024) totaled 8,564.3 billion yen, with 573 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 270,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at https://www.hitachi.com.

About Hitachi Rail:
Hitachi Rail is committed to driving the sustainable mobility transition and has a clear focus on partnering with customers to rethink mobility. Its mission is to help every passenger, customer and community enjoy the benefits of more connected, seamless and sustainable transport.

With revenues of over €7bn and 24,000 employees across more than 50 countries, Hitachi Rail is a trusted partner to the world’s best transport organisations. The company's reach is global, but the business is local - with success built on developing local talent and investing in people and communities. 

Its international capabilities and expertise span every part of the urban, mainline and freight rail ecosystems – from high quality manufacturing and maintenance of rolling stock to secure digital signalling, smart operations and payment systems.

Hitachi Rail, famous for Japan's iconic high speed bullet train, draws on the digital and AI expertise of Hitachi Group companies to accelerate innovation and develop new technologies. Hitachi Group’s revenues for FY2024 (ended March 31, 2025) totalled €581.6 bn / ¥9,783.3 bn, with 618 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 280,000 employees worldwide.

Find out more by visiting hitachirail.com or our press site here.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d503af50-cb09-4eec-b7dc-7e70d1481833

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.